


The Prince Fought the Moon

by LunaLemongood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Lemon, Love Triangles, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:01:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 32,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28761468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaLemongood/pseuds/LunaLemongood
Summary: A love triangle story between Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and a talented witch named Luna Lightfoot.
Relationships: Luna Lightfoot/ Severus Snape, Luna Lightfoot/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 4





	1. Backstory

Luna Lightfoot was a muggle born witch, and yet to the shock of many, she was placed into Slytherin house. Despite being ambitious, cunning, resourceful, and a quick learner with a talent for potions, her housemates would take years to see her as one of their own. All because of her bloodline... or rather, her lack thereof.

She started her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry the year that the infamous Marauders were finishing their schooling.

As a muggle born witch in a house that outsiders tended to avoid, it should come as no surprise that Luna's first year of schooling was particularly lonely. She often kept to herself, and kept her nose buried in books, desperate to prove that despite her heritage, she belong at the school. She rarely spoke with others in her own year, let alone those in their seventh year. So despite being at Hogwarts for one year with the Marauders, she had never really spoken to any of them. 

During Luna's 3rd year at Hogwarts, Severus Snape began teaching potions. The morning she walked into his first lesson she recognized him as one of the older students she had seen during her first year. She was impressed that just a few years after leaving Hogwarts he was already teaching.

Over the course of Hogwarts years, Luna would go on to become a Prefect, Head Girl, and earn an O in N.E.W.T for potions. Despite her not having any ties to any of the pure bloodlines, she ended up earning the respect of most of her fellow Slytherins. She was even known to associate with a few students from other houses, an oddity for someone in Slytherin.

After Hogwarts, Luna spent the next six years working at the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers. She worked diligently in a department determined to brew the curse out of unicorn blood so that it's healing properties would revolutionize the world of medicine. 

She never got to see the results of her work however, because Albus Dumbledore reached out to her personally to request that she return to Hogwarts to work as an Assistant Potions Master.


	2. The Potions Master

The heavy double doors to the Hogwarts castle let out a low creak as Luna pushed them open and stepped inside. The patter of her footsteps echoed in the empty grand entrance hall. She stood gazing at the sunlit stained glass window on the wall opposite her at the top of the grand marble staircase. Memories of her school years flowed back to her. It was quiet now, but she knew that very soon the hallways would be alive with the sound of eager students.

"Welcome back Luna. I'm glad to see you've had a safe trip." A warm voice said from behind her.

Luna quickly turned to find Albus Dumbledore standing behind her, his face lit with a charming smile.

"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't see you there, sir. Thank you."

Dumbledore chuckled as her fingers ran through his flowing grey beard. "Please, call me Albus. You're not a student anymore."

"Of course... Albus" Luna said, practically forcing his name out of her mouth. It felt so strange to call him by his first name, as if they were equals. 

Albus beamed before gesturing his hand to a nearby corridor. "I have no doubt that you still remember where the Dungeons are? You surely spent enough time studying there as a student."

Luna chuckled. "Yes, I think I can manage to find my way."

"Excellent. If you go just a little further down the Dungeon corridor you'll find the potion mater dormitories. There should be two rooms. Yours is on the left. I'll leave you to it, I'm sure you need time to get adjusted before students start arriving."

"Thank you Albus." She responded before turning to face her trunk. "Locomoto trunk" She said with a flick of her wand, and her trunk began to float.

As she strode down the Dungeon corridor, Luna allowed her hand to run along the wall. Her fingertips danced along the cold stone walls. It was hard to believe that she hadn't stepped foot in the castle in six years. Although Hogwarts was a place that was in general hard to forget, she found that this part of the school was particularly clear in her memory. She had a knack for potions and had spent a lot of her free time in the Dungeons perfecting her craft. Obviously time well spent.

When she reached the end of the end of the corridor, she entered the door on the left. She shut and latched the door behind her, and when she did her trunk fell to the ground with a bellowing thud. Her whole life was packed in that trunk.

She quickly went to work hanging her clothes in the wardrobe, filling the once empty bookshelf in the corner of the room with books that were nearly falling apart from use, and arranging her cauldron and crystal vials on her desk. 

When she finally turned and faced her bed, she noticed a letter that had been carefully placed on her pillow.

She lifted the letter off her black satin sheets and cracked the wax seal open. 

_Dear Luna,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. I've heard that you'll be joining the staff this year, and I have to say that I'm excited to have another bright woman join our ranks._

_I wanted to let you know that Pomona and I have tea every Wednesday in the little garden near her greenhouse. We would be delighted if you would join us in this little weekly get together of ours. Us women have to stick together after all. (Please don't tell Sybill, she spends the entire time trying to read about our deaths in the tea leaves and is in general no fun)._

_Let me know if you need help settling in._

_Regards,  
_ _Minerva_

Luna couldn't help but let out a giggle as she placed the letter on her nightstand. Tea with the girls sounded wonderful. She had been worried that many of the professors at Hogwarts would still view her as a student, and she was pleasantly surprised so far at how welcoming everyone was.

After she had finished settling in, Luna left her quarters to go to the potions storage room. She knew it would be a matter of days before students arrived and she wanted to get a full inventory of everything the stock room had to offer before then.

As she opened the storage room door, she was greeted by a figure dressed entirely in black bent over examining one of the shelves. Upon hearing the door open, the figure spun around.

"Ah, Miss Lightfoot. Albus informed me that you would be joining me." Snape said coolly.

"Please, we're colleagues now, you can call me Luna." Luna said cheerily.

"You know, I heard that you were doing important research for the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers. I wonder, _Miss Lightfoot_ , what would make someone give up such an honorable position to come be an associate potion master?" Snape made sure to put extra emphasis on her last name.

Luna ignored this obvious attempt to ruffle her. She had of course survived four years of school with him as her potions professor, so she was used to his prickly demeanor. 

"Well, Albus reached out to me himself and requested that I take the position. As I'm sure you're well aware, when Dumbledore asks you for something directly, he usually has his reasons, and it's best to oblige."

Snape paused for a moment before uttering, "You know, I've read some of your work. You're rather good."

"I learned from the best."

Luna thought she had caught a small smile at this statement, but it quickly vanished.

"Am I to assume that your work at the Society was not just writing scrolls of magical ingredient properties and actually involved direct work with potions?" He said.

"Of course, I-" Luna started, but she was quickly cut off.

"Good. Glad to know you aren't going to be rusty then. There will be lots to attend to. I expect there to always be an up to date inventory of available ingredients. Madame Pomfrey will need a constant stock of remedies for a multitude of ailments. Several creatures under the groundskeeper's care require multiple tonics to keep them under control. There is also a particular security matter that your expertise will be needed in. Not to mention there will be plenty to do with the students. As an assistant potion master, I'll of course be expecting you to do most of the grunt work." He said rather authoritatively.

"I would dream of nothing less, Severus." She said, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Professor Snape" he retorted.

"You'll call me by my first name one of these days." She said as she pulled out a quill and parchment and began to take inventory.

Snape let out a huff and left the room in silence.


	3. The First Week

Routine settled in quickly for Luna over the next few days. She had quickly finished preparations for the students, along with the long list of potions, remedies, and tonics for Madame Pomfrey and Hagrid's various needs. Luna had once again begun to crack open her already worn books and reread them for what must have been the hundredth time. The familiar crackle sound of turning their pages eased her anxious mind as she awaited the coming of the students. 

She took sips of her tea in between turning pages. It was late, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if she tried. The students were going to be coming the next day, and for some reason it made her more nervous than any of her research projects did. Perhaps it was because people were involved. When it came to ingredients, she could tell you how wormwood danced with asphodel to make a calming elixir, but only if the heat was just so. Otherwise, you'd end up with a rather nasty poison that could leave you in a sleep that you never awaken from. Potions required a certain understanding of the delicate process, but it was a language that she spoke as if it was her first. Humans were much more complicated.

*********

Luna sat next to Snape at the head table. Hundreds of candles filled the ceiling; they floated freely along the starry night backdrop. The four house tables were elaborately decorated in their respective colors. Ghosts began to pour in from the walls, taking their place in the aisles, excited to catch a glimpse at this year's new batch of students.

The hall began to fill with students, and the more of them that filled in the seats, the louder the ambient noise of the hall became. Excitement filled the air.

Suddenly the door to the Great Hall swung open and McGonagall stepped though, a line of first years waddling after her like scared ducklings. Silence filled the room.

The Sorting Hat burst to live on the wooden stool and began to sing,

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your tops hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell brave of heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And you won't get in a flap!  
You're safe in my hands(though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!!_

The Hall burst into applause, and the Sorting Hat took a bow. The room fell silent again as Mcgonagall began to call student's names.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!" McGonagall said loudly so that the whole Hall could hear.

Luna leaned over to Snape and whispered in his ear, "It doesn't feel like that long ago since I sat on that rickety stool."

"That's because it wasn't." Snape responded cooly.

"Oh, please. You act like you're so much older than me. You know my first year at Hogwarts was your last? You're only six years older than me." Luna teased.

"You were my student for four years."

"Yes, but that's only because you started to teach at such a young age. That speaks more to your talent than our age difference."

Snape chuckled ever so softly under his breath, his pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Could it be, did I just make the sullen Severus laugh?" Luna tormented as she nudged his shoulder with her own.

"Potter, Harry!" Minerva's voice echoed into the hall.

"Quiet!" Snape hissed softly at Luna as his focus turned to the boy now sitting on the stool.

Harry Potter? Luna's focus, like everyone's in the room, turned to the small boy who's messy hair was now covered by the tattered Sorting Hat. 

"The boy who lived..." She whispered almost inaudibly.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat's voice bellowed. 

The Gryffindor table cheered the loudest any table had that evening as the small boy nervously joined them.

"Harry Potter. How fascinating. Did you know he was coming?" Quirrell muttered to Snape.

After the feast had finished, Dumbledore rose, and the hall once again fell silent.

"Ahem - Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore flashed a glance at a set of red haired twins seated at the Gryffindor table before continuing.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

*********

It was late in the night. The great feast had finished and the students were returned to their dormitories. Luna had resigned to her own and was reviewing the lesson plans for first years when there was a knock on her door.

"Yes?" She called out.

The door slowly opened and Snape slithered in, quietly closing it behind him.

"I'm afraid I neglected to elaborate on one of the more important tasks we are to complete this year. I was waiting until the object had managed to arrived before troubling you with it." Snape said.

"Is this about the security matter you mentioned on my first day?" Luna questioned, setting aside the parchment she was reading.

"You remember." Snape said, half shocked and half impressed that she had remembered something he merely said in passing over a week ago.

"Of course. It's the only thing on that list you didn't elaborate on. And I've come to learn that the topics that people speak the least about are usually the most important ones."

Snape nodded.

"There is a certain object of great importance that Albus has asked the staff to protect. Up until recently, we weren't sure that it was even going to make it to the castle." Snape began.

"Well, it must be here now if you're coming to talk to me about it."

Snape nodded again. "It arrived last night... Are you familiar with the Sorcerer's Stone?"

"Of course I am." Luna said, "Alchemy is a sister subject to potions. I've dabbled in researching it, and I don't think that anyone who has cracked any book on the subject hasn't heard of the stone. Although, there are still many who doubt that it ever existed."

"It exists and it's here." Snape said sternly.

"Oh, I'm well aware that it exists. I met Nicholas Flamel while working with the Society. Just once, it was very brief. The Society thought that perhaps his experience with alchemy and transmutation might aid us in removing the curse from unicorn blood."

She paused for a moment, "He told me he was over 600 years old, and I believe it... But why would he give up the stone? He needs it to continue to live."

"Perhaps he's seen all that he cares to see in this world." Snape said coolly. "The reasons behind it don't matter. What's important is that he has given up the stone, and there are those in this world who seek to use it for malevolent purposes. Albus has taken it upon himself and those of us at the school to keep it safe. I'll need your help in this matter."

"Of course, please let me know if there is anything I can do." Luna said seriously.

"There are seven brews in particular that I need. Several are quite complex and require constant attention. I will of course be teaching, so I'm counting on you to help me keep watch over them until they are ready."

"Give me the list and I'll get to work on them right away, Severus"

"Thank you, Miss Lightfoot." Snape said officially as he exited her room.

Luna sighed at the sound of her name. Clearly he didn't see her as an equal yet.

*********

It was early afternoon on Friday when Luna entered the potions classroom. She had run out of wormwood for one of the potions Snape had requested that she make to make to help guard the stone. She quietly walked down the side of the classroom as not to interrupt Severus, who was currently teaching a double potions class for both Gryffindor and Slytherin houses.

"Potter!" she heard Snape yell, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Luna froze. "The Living Death" quietly left her lips as she rooted in the cabinet in the stockroom. She stood back up, her hand now clasped around a clear vial of wormwood. Why on Earth would Snape be questioning students, first years no less, about the very poison that she currently had brewing just one floor beneath them in the dungeons.

"I don't know, sir" she heard an anxious boy respond.

Luna started to make her way back to the entrance of the classroom, making sure to lock the stockroom behind her.

"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." Snape sneered at the boy that Luna now clearly recognized as Harry Potter from the Sorting Ceremony at the start of the week.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Luna heard Snape's voice say as she exited the classroom.

*********

After class had ended, Snape made his way one level below the classroom where Luna was finishing up.

"You didn't have to torment that boy so much." Luna said the moment Severus walked into the room.

"I don't remember asking you for a critique on my teaching methods." Snape said coldly.

Luna ignored him and continued, "He's just a first year. And from a muggle household at that. Of course he wasn't going to be able to answer your questions."

"You're from a muggle household, and look what you've managed to accomplish." Snape said, his arm motioning at the carefully sealed line of bottles on the desk.

"That's after years of schooling. I wouldn't have been able to answer that question on my first day either. Don't be a git." She said angrily.

Snape gave her a cold stare. There was an awkward pause before he continued, "Are they finished?"

"I just finished the last of them this afternoon." Luna said as she walked over to the desk with seven distinct looking bottles on it. Each with a completely different appearance. 

"Two portal potions of varying classes, three poisons, and two filled with simply nettle wine. Although, I don't know why you insisted on me making my own instead of just buying some."

"It is important that we know nothing was tampered with." Snape said as he lowered his head to get a better look at each of the containers. 

"Everything seems to be in order. I'll let Albus know that they are ready to be moved to their final location. Thank you, Luna." Severus said as he swiftly left.

Luna couldn't help but smile.


	4. On Wednesdays We Have Tea

"Cream or sugar?" Pomona asked cheerily while holding an ancient looking floral teapot with hairline cracks all over it.

"None for me dear" Minerva responded.

"Me either, thank you" Luna chimed in.

"Oh well, more for me then!" Pomona gave a warm chuckle as she dropped two sugar cubes and a rather large helping of cream into her tea.

"Albus said quidditch tryouts were this week. You're both heads of Houses, care to share some insider information?" Luna teased as she lifted her cup to take her first sip. 

"Oh, I'm fairly certain that Hufflepuff's team is set up rather well already. I think they're really only taking try outs for substitute positions this year." Pomona said as she took a sip of tea.

Pomona's nose scrunched up, "Now how is it my tea is already cold?"

Minerva chuckled, "I don't know, Pomona. Perhaps is has something to do with all the cream you've added to it?"

"Oh no, that can't be it. Must be a faulty cup." Pomona teased and gave Luna a wink.

"Well, Minerva, what about you? Any news about your team?" Luna questioned.

Minerva remained silent for a moment and looked from side to side as if she was looking for eavesdroppers before speaking. "Actually, I believe Gryffindor is going to have an ace up our sleeves this season."

"Oh?" Pomona's attention was peaked, "Do tell!"

"Well..." Minerva said before leaning in close to the table so that she could whisper to the girls, "We've got a new seeker. Quite talented. A natural. Harry Potter."

"Potter?" Luna questioned.

"Oh yes" Minerva continued, "I believe flying is in his blood. His father was an excellent player as I'm sure you well know."

"I'm afraid I don't" Luna said.

"Come now, Luna. I know it was for only one year, but you were here when James Potter was. Surely you managed to watch at least one quidditch match during your first year." Minerva said.

Luna looked down at the dirt below the iron garden table the ladies were seated at in a feeble attempt to hide her embarrassment. "I'm afraid not."

Pomona let out a little gasp. "Oh, Luna. I know better than most the lure of magical herbs and plants, but you really should have went to a few games! You spent too much time locked away with your books. Some fresh air would have done you some good."

"It's never too late" Minerva chimed in, "The quidditch season will be here before you know it. Why don't you take a break taking orders from Severus and join us to watch a match or two?"

"I'd love to" Luna replied as she sipped the last of her cup of tea. 

"Another?" Pomona asked, already out of her chair and preparing to pour Luna another cup before she could even answer.

"Of course. You make the best tea Pomona."

Pomona's face absolutely lit up. "Thank you dearie! You know it all starts with a good tea leaf. And of course that comes from a healthy Theaceae plant! You know, I find that mixing half dragon dung fertilizer with-"

"Now look what you've done" Minerva interrupted.

All three women giggled.


	5. Quidditch

Luna looked in the standing mirror in her room. She ran her hands down her body, smoothing out any noticeable wrinkles on her robes. Satisfied, she reached over to her coatrack and grabbed her long emerald and silver scarf. It was the same scarf that she wore when she was a student at Hogwarts. She tenderly tied it around her neck, adjusted it so that it looked just so, and then headed out.

As she was locking her door she heard a soft grunt from the room next to hers. She knocked softly on the door, "Severus? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Severus said, but the strain in his voice said otherwise.

"Severus, I'm coming in." Luna warned as she opened his door.

"No, really I-" Severus said hastily, but he suddenly stopped talking when the door swung open.

Luna let out a small gasp, "Severus, you're bleeding!" She quickly walked over to him and knelt at his side.

"It's nothing, really." Snape managed to say through gritted teeth.

It certainly didn't look like nothing. Snape was seated on a chair and bent over attempting to nurse a rather nasty gash on his leg. It looked like it had been haphazardly wrapped and dark red was pooling on the bandage.

Luna reached up and grabbed the bandages Severus had in his hand off of him, "Here, let me."

"You really don't have to-" Severus began.

"Severus." Luna said sternly.

Severus stopped objecting and watched as Luna gingerly removed his old wrapping and discarded them in the bin. She wiped the wound down with an antiseptic, which caused Snape to let out another groan. She then began to carefully wrap a new set of bandages around his leg. Her work was clearly neater than whoever had last wrapped his leg.

"Who wrapped this?" Luna questioned.

"Flich." Severus responded plainly.

"Well, don't have him do it again. He can clean a floor, but clearly not a wound." She paused for a moment. "You still haven't told me what happened."

Severus sighed. "You remember the important object in hiding?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, it's guarded by far more than our little collection of potions"

"I would hope so."

"Almost every professor in Hogwarts has contributed in some way or another. Even the groundskeeper has helped. It was his little addition that did this to me."

Luna's brow furrowed in confusion, "If an animal of Hagrid's is guarding the stone, then how did you end up hurt by it?"

"The thing has three heads. How am I supposed to keep a close eye on all three of them at the same time?" Severus started before Luna interrupted him.

"No, Severus. I mean if the stone is already in protection, what in Merlin's beard were you doing sneaking around there?"

"I suspect one of our own isn't being as honest at they would appear to be. I think one of the professors is trying to steal the stone. I've been making a point to walk past the corridor on the third floor when I can. Last night I heard noises inside, and I went to investigate."

"I know most of the professors here very well, and I highly doubt that any of them would betray Dumbledore's trust. Not even for a stone that could give them all the galleons in the world."

"You aren't the only new face here this year." Severus stated.

"You think Quirrell is up to no good?" Luna questioned.

"I saw him in the room that night. I tried to confront him, but he slipped out rather quickly. That three headed beast decided to take a chunk out of my leg while I wasn't paying attention."

"Severus, you have to tell Albus." Luna said seriously.

"Oh, I'll be telling him alright. But first I'm going to confront Quirrell. I want to see for myself just what kind of man he is." Snape spat.

Luna placed her hand on Snape's shoulder. "Just please be careful. There's no need for you to go gallivanting on your own when we have a family of professors here to help you."

Snape scoffed.

"I'm serious." Luna said, "I'm going to meet Minerva and Pomona to watch the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff match. If you'd like, I can help you redress your wound later."

Snape reached a hand up and placed it on top of hers. His skin was cold against hers, and the sudden contact almost made her jump. She hadn't been expecting it all, Severus never really seemed to be the touchy kind.

"Thank you Luna" He said softly.

As Luna left his room, she couldn't help but notice out of the corner of her eye a copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ on his desk.

 _Odd..._ She thought to herself. Snape didn't seem like the type to be reading up on the history of quidditch.

*********

The stands were completely packed at the quidditch field. Luna slowly managed to squeeze her way past several students whose faces were painted with their respective house's colors. When she reached the upper tier of the stands she smiled as Pomona stood and eagerly waved for her to come over.

"Afternoon ladies" Luna said as she took a seat next to Pomona and Minerva.

"Glad to see you out of the dungeons" Minerva smiled.

"Oof, what happened to him?" Pomona asked as she gestured towards Snape who was hobbling his way up the stands.

"Just an accident" Luna said quickly as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Snape gave Luna a nod and remained standing next to her.

Luna gave him a perplexed look, "Aren't you going to sit?"

"I'm fine." Snape replied shortly.

"Are you sure? Your leg might feel better if you take a little rest."

"I said I'm fine!" Snape snapped.

Minerva leaned in close to Luna and whispered in her ear, "I'm glad you got out of the dungeons dear, but did you honestly have to bring the dungeons with you?"

Luna chuckled and Severus shot the two a knowing look.

Sitting just in front of the professors was a student by the name of Lee Jordan. He was serving as the announcer for the match, and Minerva insisted on sitting close to him so that she could make sure he behaved.

Jordan began to announce the match in a rather official tone, "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too-"

"JORDAN!" Minerva yelled.

"Sorry, Professor"

Pomona and Luna giggled, but Minerva seemed rather unamused.

As the match went on, Harry, who had started out flying rather confidently for a first year, began to move more and more erratically. His broom had started to move as if an invisible hand was controlling it and attempting to shake off the rider. The crowd let out a gasp as Harry almost fell off his broom.

Suddenly, Luna began to smell smoke. She turned and her eyes grew wide as she noticed that Snape's robes were aflame.

"Severus!" she shouted.

Snape had been standing there muttering, but turned to look at Luna when she shouted. He followed the line of her gaze and looked down at his robes. Panicked, he quickly began to smack his robes in an attempt to put out the small fire.

"How in the world-" Luna began, but she was cut short.

"That cowardly newt thinks he can run to the Forbidden Forest, but I'm not letting him get away that easily." Snape huffed as he began to hobble down the stands and headed towards the woods at the edge of the school grounds.

"What was that about?" Minerva said curiously.

"We have to talk to Dumbledore." Luna said quietly as she watched the silhouettes of Snape and Quirrell disappear into the woods.


	6. The End of First Year

The last few months of the school year had been eventual. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger had snuck out of their dormitories and managed to get past all of the obstacles the staff had in place to guard the Sorcerer's Stone. Snape's assumptions about Quirrell were correct, and Harry caught him in the act of attempting to steal the stone.

There were plenty of rumors about what happened in that room, but the one thing everyone agrees on is that Harry Potter left the room alive, and Quirrell did not. 

"Did you send anything to the hospital wing for Potter?" Luna asked as she took a seat in the velvet chair across from Snape's desk.

"Why on Earth would I do that?" Snape muttered without looking up from his paperwork.

"Because he's a child, and he faced something purely evil down in those rooms. He came out alive, but injured. He deserves some simple comforts." Luna lectured.

"Did you send something?" Snape asked.

"Of course. I sent a few chocolate frogs up. Madame Pomfrey said she would add it to the pile. Apparently it looks like a candy store up there."

Snape scoffed.

"I can't believe this year is already over. It went so fast." Luna changed the subject.

"Ah, that reminds me..." Snape said as he leaned down and pulled a tall cylindrical bottle out from under his desk. "I've been saving this. Look familiar?"

"Is that my nettle wine?" Luna asked, instantly recognizing the swirling purple color fluid.

Snape gave a small smile. "Yes. You made so much and we only needed two vials of it for the challenge. I didn't see a point in wasting the rest. So I saved it. It's aged quite well. I thought we might have some together to celebrate the end of your time here."

With a flick of his wand, Snape made two ornate goblets appear on his desk. He pressed his thumb firmly on the cork of the wine bottle and it flew off with a loud pop sound. He poured a large helping into each goblet.

"Actually..." Luna began, "Albus told me that my position will remain so long as I choose to stay."

Snape looked up from the goblets, his eyes locked with hers and he replaced the cork. "Oh?"

"I think I'm going to stay. Sure, the Society has so many interesting projects going on... but I think I've finally found a family here. I've grown so close with Pomona, Minerva, and you over the course of this year. I can't imagine leaving now."

Snape's face softened, "I'm glad."

*********

The Great Hall was clad in emerald green and shining silver. A large tapestry featuring the Slytherin Serpent hung behind the head table. 

Luna took her seat next to Severus at the head table and looked around the room with a huge grin on her face. Slytherin had won the House Cup in her final year at Hogwarts, and she was proud to see that the Cup had continued to be in her House's possession for the next six years.

The mixture of students voices in the hall came to a stop as Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts..."

The Hall filled with the laughter of the students.

"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six, and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.

The students at the Slytherin table broke out into a loud applause. Some of them stood to clap, others banged their cups on the table.

Luna and Snape were both avidly clapping as well, looks of pride plastered on both of their faces.

"Yes, yes, well done Slytherin." Dumbledore continued, "However, recent events must be taken into account.

The room fell silent. The look of pride had completely vanished from Snape's face and was instead replaced with one of absolute fury.

"First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Minerva leaned over to whisper to Luna, "You know, that was my challenge. Who'd have thought it would be beaten by an eleven year old". Minerva chuckled to herself. The pride in one of the students from her House outweighed any ill feelings she had about her challenge being beaten.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." Dumbledore continued.

Luna leaned over to Severus and whispered, "I'm glad she sorted out that riddle. Could you imagine if a child had died from a poison that I had brewed? I wouldn't have been able to live myself."

Snape scoffed, "I could have."

Luna gave Severus a playful smack.

"Third, to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

The Hall was dead silent. Slytherin and Gryffindor were now tied.

"There are all kinds of courage." Dumbledore continued, "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

The Grand Hall absolutely exploded in cheering. Every table, except for Slytherin, was now standing and clapping feverishly. 

Snape slammed his fists on the table and stood up, but Luna reached over and placed her hand gently on his tightly clenched first, and he sat back down.

"There's always next year" Luna whisper softly into his ear.

Snape's head gave a twitch, angrily tossing his hair out of his now reddened face.

"Alright, Severus, hand it over please." Minerva said cockily as she outstretched her hand towards Snape.

Snape grudgingly took Minerva hand and shook it before passing her the Cup.

"This will look absolutely stunning in my office, don't you think?" Minerva said flashing a smile at Luna.


	7. Lockhart

Luna was sitting silently in the dungeons. The scratching sound of her quill against parchment was the only sound reverberating off the cold stone walls.

Suddenly there was a loud bang sound as Snape entered the room and slammed the door behind him.

Luna jumped at the sudden sound and consequently spilled the bottle of ink beside her all over the parchment she had been working on.

"Severus!" She yelled before flicking her wand and cleaning up the mess.

"I can't believe Albus gave the position to that sod!" Snape roared.

"I take it you didn't get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?" Luna said coolly as she began to work on her paperwork again.

"Obviously." Snape sneered at her through pursed lips.

"Who did Albus give the position to?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart." Snape hissed through gritted teeth.

Luna set her quill down and spun around in her chair to face Snape, "The celebrity?"

Snape scoffed. "If you could call him that. Most of his fans are sexually deprived housewives and himself."

Luna chuckled.

"It isn't funny!" Snape hollered. "He's completely inept in every way. I don't know why on Earth Dumbledore would agree to have that ninny teach. Did you see the book list that got sent out this year? That prick added seven of his own books to the list. SEVEN!" Snape's usually pale face was now a flushed red.

Luna rose from her chair and approached Snape calmly. She took his hand in hers and said, "I'm sure Albus has his reasons. He always does."

Snape froze and looked down at Luna's dainty hand clasping his. The red in his face faded to a softer tone of pink. He stood like this for just a moment before catching himself and pulling his hand free from Luna's grasp. "We'll see." He retorted.

*********

The Sorting Ceremony went on as it did every year. A row of nervous new faces were lead by McGonagall into the Great Hall in a straight line where they awaited their fate from the Sorting Hat. The long tables filled with students took turns cheering as first years joined their respective Houses.

"I don't see Potter or Weasley." Luna whispered to Severus as a rather timid looking girl had the Sorting Hat placed on her head.

"Maybe Gryffindor will win again this year then. Godric knows that the two of them are responsible for the majority of points their House loses." Snape scoffed.

"I hope they're alright." Luna said

Gilderoy Lockhart leaned over, his head now wedged between Luna and Severus. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhearing."

Snape sighed, "Here we go." He muttered under his breath.

"Where you just talking about Harry Potter?" Gilderoy questioned with an awful large fake smile. "I met him recently you know. I'm sure you saw it in the papers. Of course you did. Two world famous wizards like ourselves on the front page of the Daily Prophet, I imagine you'd have to live under a rock to miss it." He let out a rather loud laugh, which earned him a glare from Minerva across the room.

"He was at Flourish and Blotts getting ready for the school year. I gave him a set of my books. You know I've written books? Seven in fact. Almost finished with number eight in fact..." Lockhart began to ramble at this point about his latest escapades with a vampire clutch in Italy.

Snape lowered his head into his hands and groaned, "Kill me." he muttered under his breath.


	8. The Chamber of Secrets

"Enemies of the Heir, beware. You'll be next, Mudbloods!" a voice echoed down the corridor. 

Snape and Luna who had been making their rounds in the area paused at the sound of the voice carrying through the corridor. Snape's eyes met with Luna's who's had turned glazed over with rage. Severus knew from his years of having her in his class that Luna was a muggle born, and that it was a bit of a touchy subject for her. She was tormented for it relentlessly during her first year as a muggle born Slytherin.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?! You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you!" another voice shrieked.

Snape and Luna's gaze broke and they quickened their pace towards the commotion.

The two of them arrived on the scene at the same time as Dumbledore and several other professors.

It was a rather unpleasant sight. Mrs.Norris, Filch's cat, was strung up by her tail from a torch bracket. Scribbled on the wall below her, in what almost looked like blood, was written:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.

"I think you should head back to our quarters." Severus said sternly to Luna.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere!" Luna protested.

Snape whirled around to face her, his expression was stern. "This isn't the time to argue with me. As your superior, I'm giving you an order to return to the dungeons. Now!"

Luna's chest was rising and falling quickly, her breath quickening with rage, but in the end she turned and began to walk back to the dungeons without another word.

As she rounded the corner at the end of the corridor she heard Snape hiss to Lockhart, "I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

*********

Luna sat on the edge of her bed facing the doorway in silence. Her arms were crossed, and her anger still controlled her breath. She felt like a child that had just been sent to her room. After the last year she thought Snape was finally beginning to see her as an equal, but after that last exchange she was left feeling like a schoolgirl again.

There was a rasp on the door.

"Come in." Luna said sternly.

The door slowly opened and Snape solemnly walked in, closing and latching the door tightly behind him.

"What happened?" Luna said before Snape could get a word in.

"The cat wasn't dead. Merely petrified. But I'm concerned about what's to come.." His voice trailed off briefly. "Do you remember the stories about the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Those were just tales to scare students." Luna said, "Are you saying that one of the students in our house is playing a rather elaborate and morbid joke on the school?"

"I think it's more than that." Snape said as he joined Luna sitting on the edge of her bed. "Something feels different."

"Is that why you sent me away?" Luna said defensively, "Do you think so little of me that you think I couldn't defend myself? I may be a mudblood, but I was still chosen to be in Slytherin. And even after I was sorted, I worked my ass off to prove that I belong." Her face was turning red.

"I sent you away, not because I think so little of you..." Snape paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to say the words in his head, "but because I think so much of you." 

He rested his hand tenderly on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes, "I would be devastated if anything were to happen to you."

Luna's heart skipped a beat. She had noticed Severus had softened up to her over the course of the last year, but until this moment, she had just assumed that they had formed a close friendship. To her surprise, the feeling of his cool hand on her warm cheek left her with butterflies in her stomach.

"Severus..." She whispered as her words failed her.

The two shared a moment of silence, simply staring into each other's eyes, before Severus began to slowly lean in towards her.

Their lips met each other with a soft touch, and Luna felt the anger release from her body. Snape's hand clasped her cheek a little more firmly as their lips continued to press into each other time and time again. 

Luna's hand reached out and found Snape's free hand and grasped it gently. Severus gave her hand a tender squeeze as he finally pulled his lips away from hers.

Silence filled the room as the two stared at each other, Snape's hand moved from Luna's cheek and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly. The candle in the corner of the room flickered.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now." He whispered softly.


	9. The Prince

After sharing a tender moment together, things began grow slowly between Severus and Luna. She would catch him staring at her when she was bent over looking for ingredients. They frequently held hands under the head table where no one could see. Most nights before entering their respective rooms, Severus would tenderly kiss her goodnight in her doorway.

One night, Snape was surprised by a soft tap on his door.

"Come in." He said curiously.

Luna walked into the room clad in her night robe. It was black silk with an emerald green trim and it trailed down to the floor. The soft fabric tapered against her body as if it was made just for her.

"D-Did you forget something?" Severus stuttered.

Luna smiled and allowed the silky robe to drop to the floor. Underneath she was wearing a black lacey teddy.

Severus said nothing, and immediately closed the space between them, pulling her into a passionate kiss. His lips crashed against hers as his hands went straight for her waist, pulling her body against his.

Luna smiled through their kiss and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

Severus slid his hands down from her waist and gave her behind a little squeeze with both hands before hoisting her up onto his hips. Luna instinctively wrapped her legs around him to hold on, and Severus began to walk them both over to his bed.

He threw her gently to the bed, and she looked up at him giggling.

"God, you're beautiful" he whispered before climbing on top of her and resuming their passionate kiss.

Severus began to trail soft kisses along her jawline, then down her neck. As he slid the strap of her teddy off, his lips followed leaving kisses in their wake.

Luna's arms reached up and slid his cloak off, letting it fall to the floor. She wrestled with his buttons as he wrestled with the clasps on the back of her outfit.

When they had both succeeded in their venture, Severus took a moment to admire her bare body laying on his sheets. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, but finally he whispered "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Without wasting another moment Severus slid himself slowly into her. He let out a soft groan as her walls clenched around his manhood, adjusting to his size. He remained still for a moment to allow her to get comfortable, his eyes focused intently on hers. 

She nodded to let him know she was ready and Severus began to slowly pump his hips into her. A sigh of pleasure left her lips as her hands retook their rightful place around his neck. This caused Severus to lean down towards her, resting his forehead tenderly against hers. 

Their faces were close together now, but Severus maintained an intense eye contact with Luna that sent shivers down her spine.

He began to pick up his pace, causing Luna to moan in ecstasy as her grip around him tightened.

A prideful smile crept onto Snape's face, gloating at the fact that he was the one giving her so much pleasure. Her moans only encouraged him and he began to slam roughly into her, his hands now placed at either side of her head grasping the bedsheets in a clenched fist.

Luna leaned up to kiss him, and Severus returned the kiss with a gentle bite on her bottom lip. Her back arched, causing him to slide deeper inside her as a moan escaped her lips.

"Severus" she moaned into his ear as she began to feel her insides clench and knot.

"Cum for me." He growled into her ear before nibbling on her lobe.

Warmth rushed over her as every muscle in her body tightened and shook. Her mouth was open in a gasp, but no sound managed to escape.

Snape lifted his hand from the sheets beside her and gripped her jaw tightly, he turned her head so that she was forced to look him directly in the eye. His eyes bore into hers as he gave one final strong thrust, reaching his climax. She felt him twitch inside of her for a moment, and then he slowly pulled himself out and laid down next to her. 

He ran his fingers through her hair gently before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

They cuddled for a while, but eventually Luna started to get out of bed, "I assume you'd like the room to yourself now. I'll just head off to bed."

Before she could get up, Snape's hand grabbed hers, making her stop. "No. Stay."

Luna's heart skipped a beat and she smiled softly at him.

Snape opened the sheets on his bed and tapped the empty spot beside him. 

Luna climbed in and rested her head on his chest as Severus wrapped the blankets snuggly around the two of them.

They laid in silence for a few minutes before Severus finally spoke up, "You know, you aren't the only one in Slytherin to not be pureblood."

Luna chuckled, "The school has been around for hundreds of years. I highly doubt that I was the first, and I probably won't be the last."

"What I mean to say... is that with this whole Heir of Slytherin nonsense going on right now, your safety isn't the only one that concerns me. I'd be considered a mudblood too." Severus said in an almost ashamed voice.

"Are you muggle born?"

"Not quite. My father was a muggle. The name Snape is a muggle name I'm afraid." he said.

"And your mother?" Luna questioned.

"She was from the Prince family bloodline." Snape responded.

"So what you're trying to tell me..." Luna said playfully, "Is that you're my prince?" she ran her fingers across his chest tenderly as she said this.

Severus let out a soft chuckle, a rare sound. "I suppose you wanted me to say something lame like only if you were my princess?" 

"Maybe." Luna continued to tease.

"Well I would never say that." Severus said seriously.

The smile faded from Luna's face.

"Because you're more of a queen to me." He whispered as he tenderly lifted her head by her chin with two fingers. He leaned in and kissed her gingerly.


	10. The Storage Room

The door to the potion's storage room slammed shut and instantly locked. 

"Muffliato" Severus managed to get out in between passionate kisses. Once the door was secured, he slammed Luna against the wall, making dozens of bottles on the storage shelves rattle around them.

Since their first encounter, things between Severus and Luna had begun to heat up quickly. They found themselves in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and it made them adventurous.

Luna grabbed him and shuffled so that couple switched places, and Severus was now the one leaning against the wall. She gently placed little love bites along his jawline. She could feel him growing hard through his robes against her.

Severus leaned in close so that his lips were just barely touching her ear. "On your knees, darling" he whispered, his hot breath dancing against her skin.

Luna obliged and slowly lowered herself to her knees, locking eyes with him the whole way down. She felt the cold of the stone floor on he knees through her thin robe as she made contact with the floor.

She reached up and slowly undid his buckle before slowly sliding his belt out of his pants one loop at a time, the two of them maintaining intense eye contact the entire time. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the bulge in his pants twitch at her touch. 

She finally broke eye contact and looked down at him. She quickly undid the button to his pants before flashing a devilish grin up at him and biting down on the metal tag of his zipper. She up at him and they locked eyes again as she slowly slid his zipper down with her mouth. Severus let out a low grunt at this sight.

She reached into his pants and pulled out his fully hard member. His tip already had a drip of precum on it from all his excitement.

She gingerly licked the precum off his tip before placing her tongue on the base of his cock and slowly licking up the entire length of his shaft until she reached the tip again. She then took just his tip into her mouth and sucked on it teasingly, her tongue swirling in circles on it.

Severus let out a frustrated moan and his hand reached out, tightly gripping the hair on the back of her head. He applied a bit of pressure, slowly coaxing her to take more of his length in.

Luna followed his guidance and slowly more and more of his length disappeared down her throat. When she reached the base, she gagged a little and looked up at him with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Such a good girl" he uttered.

She removed him from her mouth and gasped, trying to once again fill her lungs with air.

"Now now" Severus said darkly, "Open up."

Luna opened her mouth, her soft lips gently parting as she stuck her tongue out.

Severus reached down, grabbed his cock, and lightly smacked it on Luna's tongue. More precum dribbled from it into her mouth.

Luna wrapped her hand around the base of Severus and gently tightened her grip as her mouth took the upper half of him back in. She began to slowly bob her head up and down the length of his shaft, her hand mimicking her mouth along what part of him wouldn't fit. 

Snape's grip on her hair tightened, and with a quick motion he snapped her head back slightly so that he could see her face.

"Look at me." He ordered.

Their eyes once again locked as Luna began to move faster now, the hollows of her cheeks becoming more apparent as she sucked harder.

Snape let out a loud guttural moan as his hips thrust forward, forcing himself farther down her throat. He released into her mouth, and his free hand grabbed wildly to the side of him for anything to help him keep his balance. He knocked several vials of ingredients off the shelf when he did so.

Luna swallowed and softly kissed his tip one last time before turning her attention to the fallen containers.

"Reparo" she said, and several of the broken vials reassumed their original shape.

She began to place them back on their shelves in their rightful places as Severus zipped his pants.

"Severus, are you making a polyjuice potion?" Luna asked.

"No, why?" Snape asked curiously.

"It's just that there is a vial of bicorn horn and boomslang skin missing..."


	11. The Dueling Club

"Honestly, I'm surprised you volunteered to be his assistant. Godric knows you hate the man." Luna said as she was looking in the mirror finishing getting dressed.

"I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to embarrass him in front of everyone." Snape said, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Severus, you aren't planning on hurting Gilderoy, are you?" Luna questioned him.

Snape paused for a second, a grin plastered on his face as images of Lockhart writhing under the effects of various curses went through his mind.

"Severus." Luna said more sternly.

"No no, I won't hurt him... much" Severus muttered.

"Severus!" Luna half yelled half giggled.

Severus wrapped his arm around Luna, pulled her in close, and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. "Come on, don't want to keep the golden boy waiting" he teased.

*********

"Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me?" Lockhart said rather officially.

"Unfortunately." Snape muttered under his breath. Luna gave him a playful smack.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works." Lockhart continued.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Go on then" Luna teased nudging Severus towards Gilderoy. "You heard what he said. I'll still have you when he's through."

Severus cast a look of daggers at Luna, which she returned with only laughter.

Severus and Gilderoy turned to face each other and then bowed. They raised their wands at the ready.

"As you can see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three , we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Lockhart continued to lecture.

"One - two -three -" Lockhart counted.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape shouted the moment the word "three" left Lockhart's lips.

Lockhart went flying across the room, slammed into a wall, and fell to the floor.

Luna's hand quickly went to cover her mouth to try to hide her smile.

McGonagall peered through the doorway, "Luna, may I have a word?"

"Of course" Luna said as she excited the Hall. The sound of Lockhart's pompous voice could still be heard on the other side of the doors.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to double up our security until this whole Heir of Slytherin business is settled. The students are more nervous than ever. They can't learn when they're afraid. They need to be made to feel safe... Even if they really might not be. Would you and Severus be able to manage adding another night each week to your rounds?" Minerva asked.

"Of course, Minerva. Whatever you need." Luna responded.

"Thank you. Be sure to tell your partner in there that you've just signed him up for extra work." she paused, "but let him finish embarrassing Lockhart first." she snickered.


	12. Mandrake

"Here you go, dearie. On they go!" Pomona said rather loudly as she handed Luna a pair of thick earmuffs. Clearly Pomona's own earmuffs had prevented her from realizing just how loud she was talking.

"Thank you." Luna said as she carefully placed the earmuffs on her head, checking to make sure that the seal was tight.

The ladies went to work uprooting now mature Mandrakes from their pots. They were prime for gathering, as they had just recently starting climbing into each other's pots. 

It was not uncommon to pull out one Mandrake and find another one clinging on to it desperately as they were both yanked from a pot.

The earmuffs helped to dampen the sound, but the screams from their tiny mouths were still able to be somewhat heard. The same went for the shouting that Pomona and Luna were doing in order to talk to each other while they worked.

"It's downright dreadful is what it is. Hermione was such a bright student. It pains me to think of her laying lifeless like a statue in a hospital bed." Pomona said as she shoved a set of Mandrakes into a large jar.

The Mandrakes shrieked in protest as Pomona began to close the lid of the jar. Then she raised her wand, "Muffliato". The sounds of the screaming Mandrakes were locked inside the jar.

Pomona set the now sealed jar on a cart and moved her attention to the next clay pot.

"She isn't dead Pomona. Just petrified is all." Luna said, yanking a rather chubby Mandrake out its pot.

Luna sealed her chubby Mandrake in a jar the same way Pomona had, although her Mandrakes rolls were pressed up against the glass.

"We're lucky that you had a healthy Mandrake batch this year. They even matured in time. Severus and I will have the Mandrake Restorative Draught ready in no time and have everyone that's been prettified up and moving again." Luna said.

"Speaking of Severus" Pomona wiped the sweat from her brow, leaving a smudge of dirt behind. "I've noticed quite the change in our Potions Master this last year."

"Oh really?" Luna said nervously.

"Don't get me wrong," Pomona continued, "He is still quite the prickly little thing."

Luna chuckled as she sealed another Mandrake jar.

"But he's less so, if that makes any sense. I think we have you to thank for that" Pomona said as she gave Luna a little wink.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that" Luna said, her cheeks becoming flushed.

"What else could it be? It's amazing how being in love can change someone. It's a good thing you came around. I thought he'd never move on from Lily." Pomona said.

"Well... He's never actually said that he loves me." Luna said as she nervously rubbed her neck, giving her a dirt stain to match Pomona's forehead.

The two stood for a moment in relative silence. The only sound was the muffled sound of Mandrake screams.

"Who is Lily?" Luna asked.

"Was..." Pomona said softly so that Luna almost couldn't hear her through her earmuffs.

"What?" Luna asked.

"Who was Lily." Pomona corrected her. "I'm afraid she's passed, the poor dear."

"Oh.." Luna said, unsure of how to respond.

"Lily Potter. She was Harry's mother. But before she was Lily Potter, she was Lily Evans. She was a beautiful red haired girl with a gentle soul. She and Severus were best friends for most of their school years. She defending him from a group of kids who bullied him. Odd enough, one of those kids was James Potter; Harry's father. It's funny, she hated him when she was younger, but she ended up falling in love with him all the same." Pamona said.

The last of the Mandrakes had been sealed in their soundproof jars, and the ladies removed their earmuffs.

"And Severus?" asked Luna.

"Well, isn't is obvious dear? They were close friends, but I'm afraid that young Severus saw Lily in a way that she just didn't see him. It must have crushed him to see her fall for a boy who tormented him... and then with the awful way she died."

Luna looked at the ground of the greenhouse. Why hadn't Severus ever mentioned this to her before? Is this why he hadn't told her that he loved her yet? ...Could he even love anymore?


	13. Spinner's End

Over the next few weeks, any time Luna was with Severus she couldn't help but hear Pomona's voice in her head rehashing the story of Lily. Every time they were intimate or had a tender moment, Luna would desperately search Severus's eyes for any trace of loving emotion. She could never come to a conclusion either way. If she saw love, the little voice in her head told her that she was imagining it. If she didn't see it, then the same voice told her that she was trying to make problems where there were none.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Luna said as she was packing her possessions into her trunk.

Severus entered, "Do you have plans for the summer?"

Luna stopped packing and turning her attention to him, "Are you asking me to go on holiday with you?"

Severus gave a nervous laugh. "Not exactly. I have no plans to go anywhere myself. I just thought, if you didn't already have plans, that perhaps you'd like to join me at my house for the summer. It isn't much, but I thought I would still ask if-"

Luna cut him off, "I'd love to."

A small smile appeared on Severus's face. "I'll leave you to finish packing." 

He left as quickly as he had entered.

*********

Luna and Severus stood outside the door of a narrow brick house that was surrounded by similar looking, but clearly abandoned homes. All of the street lights were broken, and the smell from an dirty river wafted by from time to time.

They crossed the threshold and entered into a small sitting room, the walls lined with worn books.

"It isn't much..." Severus began.

But Luna wasn't listening. She had already left Severus's side and had wandered over to one of the walls stuffed with leather bound books. She reached up and let her fingers glide along the cracked spines of several books. "I love it." she said as she returned her attention to him.

Over the next few days, the two had settled into a routine of playing house. Luna had, against Severus's wishes, begun to tidy the place a bit. This brought a warmth into the cold house.

Every evening the two would make dinner together without magic. The two often remarked at how muggle cooking was similar to potions. Carefully measure ingredients, specific heats, time and attention. It was an activity that they grew fond of doing together.

But one night Luna rolled over in bed, half awake, expecting to find Severus next to her. Instead she found cold sheets. She sat up and looked towards the bedroom door, where a faint light crept under the doorway.

Curious as to what he was doing in the middle of the night, Luna got out of bed. Goosebumps appeared on her skin and she gave a shiver as the cold of the night greeted her skin when she got out of the blankets. She put on her robe and then quietly left the bedroom, following the source of the flickering light.

Severus was sitting in an old armchair, a glass of brandy in one hand and what looked like a photograph in another. His gaze was fixed out the window towards the dark abandoned streets. A dying fire in the fireplace dimly lit the room.

"Severus..." Luna whispered.

Severus's head snapped to look at her, and his body gave a slight jump. He clearly wasn't expecting her to be awake.

"What are you doing?" Luna continued as she moved closer to him.

"Just... reminiscing." Severus said softly. "This was my childhood home you know. I have lots of memories here. These streets weren't always empty. One of my dearest friends used to live nearby." 

Luna looked down at the photograph in Severus's hand. A gorgeous red haired young woman was standing in the photo. She had a smile that could light a room and was wearing a long flowing white dress. She was waving at the camera. Although she had never seen her before, Luna immediately recognized who she was.

"Lily." she said, her voice cracking.

"Who told you about her?" Snape said, his eyes widening with alarm.

"Pomona" Luna responded. She could feel a fire starting to build somewhere deep within her. 

"Is she the dearest friend who used to live nearby?" Luna asked, the shakiness of her voice beginning to fade and be replaced with anger.

"Yes." Snape said softly.

"And is _she_ the reason that you come here every summer despite the fact that this house is surrounded by a ghost town? Despite the fact that what Dumbledore pays could easily pay for a new house? You _choose_ to come back here. Because of _her_?" Luna's voice was now quaking with anger, and the finger she raised to point at the photograph of smiling Lily mimicked the shake of her voice.

"Yes." Snape said, his voice barely audible.

"Is that why you brought me here? So you could be close to the memory of her and pretend that the body you were touching at night was hers?" Tears were starting to stream down Luna's cheeks.

Severus didn't answer her.

The silence that filled the room as the two of them stared at each other was deafening.

"Have you been carrying a flame for her all this time?" Luna said, her eyes growing puffy from crying. "Have you loved her all this time?"

"Always." Severus whispered, his eyes pleading for her to stop.

"I think I'm going back to Hogwarts early." Luna whispered.

Severus rose to his feet, "It's the middle of the night." He reached for her hand "I'll explain everything to you. And if after you still want to leave, you can. But please, please just stay till morning." It was his turn to have a shaky voice.

Luna tore her hand away before Severus could touch her. "I don't want to stay here. I won't compete with a ghost."


	14. The Moon

It was a little over a month before the start of the new term, and several of the professors had returned to Hogwarts to prepare for the students return.

Luna of course had returned much sooner than the others, but even after more professors began to trickle back to the school, Luna tended to keep her distance when she could. She spent her days alone in her room reading.

Then one night, there was a gentle tap on her door. At first she worried that it was Severus, but then it occurred to her that the pattern of the knocking was not one she had heard before.

"Yes?" She called out to the unknown person on the other side of her door.

"I was wondering if you had a moment?" A warm voice responded from the other side of the door.

Luna flicked her wand and the door opened, "I always have time for you, Albus" she said kindly.

Albus smiled as he entered her room. "The house elves informed me that we had a staff member return rather early. I expected you would come say hello after you had settled in, but weeks have gone by now and you have not humored me with pleasantries."

"I'm sorry." Luna said ashamed. She had been so wrapped up in her own emotions that she had completely forgotten to speak to Dumbledore when she returned.

"Actually," she continued, "I've been meaning to talk to you as well."

"Oh?" Dumbledore said curiously as he peered over his half moon glasses.

"I know you said my position would remain open so long as I chose to stay... and I'm starting to think that perhaps my time here has ended faster than I had intended."

"I see." Dumbledore said softly, "Now this wouldn't have to do with a certain colleague would it?"

Luna felt her eyes begin to swell with tears, and she fought to hold them back. Her eyes met Dumbledore's, and his kind gaze settled her nerves.

"Well, you are of course free to leave whenever you please. I'm certainly not going to force you to stay. But I would remind you that your services here have never been insignificant, nor has your presence. I know it would be missed by two ladies in particular." Dumbledore gave Luna an encouraging smile.

Luna's gaze shifted to the ground.

"If you do decide to stay, I came here to inform you of another duty that I was hoping you would add to your monthly routine." Dumbledore said.

Luna's eyes lifted back up to Dumbledore, her curiosity peaked.

"As I'm sure you remember, Gilderoy suffered a rather nasty hit from a backfired memory charm last year. I'm afraid the nurses at St. Mungo's have made little progress on his condition. As such, he won't be returning this year. I have of course already made arrangements for a new professor to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, this one comes with a malady of his own. One that will require monthly treatment. This is where you come in handy." 

"What's wrong with them?" Luna asked.

"Oh, just a little lycanthropy is all." Dumbledore chuckled. "I assume you know what treatment I am referring to?"

"The Wolfsbane Potion." Luna said, "I've never actually made one myself. I've read that it's rather difficult."

"It is." Dumbledore continued, "But I have no doubts that you and Severus will master it. Severus has some experience with the brew already, but it is one that requires a rather watchful eye."

"Of course. When working with something as toxic as aconite, any little thing can turn a remedy into a deadly poison." Luna said.

"While Severus has experience preparing the potion, I'm afraid that he cannot devote all of his time to babysitting a cauldron when he has students to teach. I'm sure Severus would gladly pass on any knowledge he has on the process to you. Should you be interested in staying that is." 

Luna had been torn about staying for another school year having to face Severus every day of the week. However, conquering another master level potion was a rare opportunity. Not to mention she had never really met a werewolf in person, and she found herself curious to see what kind of person he was.

"Alright. I'll stay." Luna finally said.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said happily, "I'll be sure to inform Professor Lupin that he will have not one, but two potion masters working on his remedy. That should help clear any reservations he was feeling."

And with that, Dumbledore left the room. Luna could hear him humming a tune to himself, the song slowly fading as he got further and further away.

*********

Most of the staff had returned to the school at this point, and tea on Wednesdays had resumed. Despite having her bedroom be next to his, Luna had managed to mostly avoid Severus except for the moments where he was teaching her how to brew the Wolfsbane Potion.

What little interaction they did have was formal. And outsider looking in would have no idea that just a month ago the two had been dancing in sheets together more nights than not.

"Take the first dose up to him. His room is on the second floor." Severus ordered.

Luna said nothing, but took the goblet from his hands. A faint blue smoke billowed out from the goblet, the smell of which was rather unpleasant.

"Make sure he drinks it all!" Snape called after her as she exited the dungeons.

Luna reached the second floor and headed to the room at the end of the corridor. She knocked on the door.

"Come in." a low voice growled from inside.

Luna opened the door and saw a man who appeared to be no older than Severus sitting on the floor. He looked rather worse for wear. His clothes were disheveled, as was his hair. He had dark bags under his eyes, which almost looked illuminated. He was hunched over and breathing heavy, as if he had just went running.

"You can set it on the nightstand. I'll get to it in a moment." the man said.

Luna ignored this request and instead walked over to the man. She sat on the floor next to him, crossing her legs.

"I'd prefer if you drank it now." She said calmly.

The man gave her a rather shocked looked. He had expected her to place the drink on his nightstand and run at the sight of him. But instead here she was sitting mere inches from him. His face studied hers as he reached out and took the goblet from her. He took a large gulp and then made a repulsed face.

"I know it isn't very nice, but you're going to have to drink every drop I'm afraid" Luna said, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "It won't work if you don't."

The man looked at her hand on his shoulder, he was taken aback. He silently nodded and then finished the rest of his tonic. He extended his arm towards her, offering to return the now empty goblet.

Luna took the goblet from him, "I believe Dumbledore said your name was Professor Lupin?"

Lupin nodded, "Remus Lupin."

"Hello Remus. My name is Luna." She offered her hand to him.

Remus hesitantly took her hand and shook it. "Pleasure."

"I'll be coming to visit you for the next few days. You'll have to drink a goblet's worth every night this week in order to stave off the effects of your condition." Luna said plainly, "Hopefully it'll help you start to feel a bit better... Or at least better than you are now."

Remus gave a soft chuckle, "I've looked worse, believe me."

Luna laughed and got back to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Remus."


	15. Moonflower

"Did you make sure he drank it all?" Severus asked the moment Luna left Remus's room.

"Yes." She said sharply, "I don't need a babysitter to watch me make a man drink a cup. "

"I'm just keeping an eye on you." He said.

"Are we really back to the part where you treat me like a child?" she said coldly.

"No. I'm just here to make sure you're okay. He's a monster you know." Snape said coolly.

Luna shook her head at him, sighed in disbelief, and walked past Severus, making sure to dig her shoulder into him as she passed.

Remus stood just on the other side of his door, his ear tightly pressed against it. He felt a pang in his chest as the word "monster" left Severus's lips.

*********

The next evening when Luna arrived to give Remus his next dose of medicine, Remus's face met hers with a look of shock.

"I'm surprised Snape isn't delivering my medicine today. Wouldn't want you getting too close to a monster, now would we?" He said harshly.

"You heard him." Luna said frowning as she handed the goblet to Remus.

"He's not wrong..." Remus said solemnly.

"Remus." Luna interrupted, "I by no means have known you for very long, but I still can't see how you would be a monster."

"You don't know what happens to me every full moon. How I become a beast. How my temper flares. How I destroy things. How I hurt those around me, even those that I care about. I am a monster of the night." He hung his head.

"Finish the cup, Remus." Luna said softly.

Remus drank the rest of the potion and gagged a little on the last sip. "No chance you can do anything about the taste?"

Luna giggled, "I'm afraid not. Not if you want it to work that is. I'll see you tomorrow Remus." She gave him a tender smile as she left, and he returned it.

*********

The following evening, Luna once again brought Remus his medicine. But this time in her other hand she had a glass sphere.

"This is for you." she said as she handed him the glass sphere. Inside was a gorgeous white flower, plucked at the peak of its bloom. 

"It's gorgeous." Remus said, his eyes transfixed on the flower.

"It's a moonflower." Luna said smiling, "It only blooms in the moonlight. It doesn't live for long, it's gone come sunrise. That sphere you're holding has been enchanted to freeze time within it, so the flower can stay in that moment. It reminded me of you."

Remus's eyes left the orb and instead turned to look deeply into Luna's eyes.

"Not everything that blooms under the moon needs to be feared." She said.

"Moonflowers are poisonous." Remus corrected her.

"And yet so many poisonous plants are used for medicine. To most they may seem dangerous... but I see the good in them. The beauty that they hold."

Remus's face softened that these words, "Thank you, Luna."

"Drink." Luna said as she handed him the goblet.


	16. Hogsmeade

The full moon had come and gone, and Remus had returned to his normal self.

Luna was sitting in the staff room re-reading a rather worn copy of _Goshawk's Guide to Herbology_. She heard a tap on the door and looked up from the text to find Remus standing in the doorway.

"I don't mean to interrupt," he began, "but I thought after all that nasty stuff you've been making me drink for the last week, we could actually have something decent?"

Luna placed an owl feather in her book to mark her place and closed it. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was hoping you'd come to Hogsmeade with me this evening." Remus said nervously.

"Of course." Luna said smiling at him brightly.

Remus's face lit up, "Excellent. I'll meet you just outside the castle doors after classes are done with for the day."

"Alright." Luna said casually.

"Good. Well... Then I guess I'll see you this evening." Remus said nervously as he left.

*********

Remus and Luna sat at a small table for two near the window in The Three Broomsticks Inn. 

"What would you like?" Remus asked her.

"I'll take whatever you're having." Luna responded as she began to pull out her coin purse.

Remus placed his hand on hers and pushed the coin pouch back towards her pocket. "Please, this one is on me."

"Oh, thank you." Luna said nervously. _Wait, is this a date?_ The thought raced through her head.

Remus went up to the bar and returned with two glasses of butterbeer. He placed one in front of each of them and sat back down at the table.

"I just thought this would be a nice way to thank you." Remus said, "When most people figure out what I am, they want nothing to do with me. You showed me a great kindness this week sticking by my side, even when others told you that I was a monster."

"Actually.." she paused and nervously took a sip of her butterbeer, "I was wondering if you could fill me in on why Severus seems to get so upset at the mere mention of you."

Remus let out a hefty sigh. "We have a bit of a history."

Luna raised on eyebrow in curiosity.

"When we were kids, I had three very close friends; James, Sirius, and Peter. They tormented him daily. They called him names; hit him with minor jinxes. I never technically did any of those things to him, but I was complicit in the matter. I could have said something at any time... and I didn't."

"And the worst part," he continued, "is that I think he truly believes that at one time I meant to deal him grave harm."

"What?" Luna said shocked.

"I didn't!" Remus said defensively. "You know about the Whomping Willow I'm sure?"

"Yes.." Luna said cautiously.

"Well, it was planted because of me. Dumbledore knew about my... condition, and yet he still wanted to provide me with an education. He had that tree planted to guard a secret tunnel to a shack where I could spend the full moon each month. That way I wouldn't be a danger to the other students. Well, of course I told my best friends about it. And one of them, Sirius, told Severus about how to get into the tunnel. Godric knows why. But Severus went down there, convinced he was going to catch me doing something that he could use to get me expelled. James managed to stop him before he got to the shack, but Severus still caught a glimpse of me... full transformed. I think he believes to this day that I had Sirus lure him there so that I could kill him."

Luna sat in silence for a moment, taking it all in. "Severus never mentioned any of this to me."

"I don't expect that he would." Remus said, "But I'm telling you because I think it's only fair that you see where he is coming from when he calls me a monster. It feels like too late now to make amends, but I really do regret never standing up against my friends. I should have said something..."

"You're not a monster, Remus." Luna said softly, "Just a man who made some mistakes. But look how much you've grown."

Remus smiled softly at her and placed his hand on top of hers, "Thank you, Luna."

From there the conversation shifted. They discussed quidditch, Remus's upcoming boggart lesson plans, and of course, chocolate.

The bar was starting to empty out, and it hit them that they must have been there for hours talking.

Remus polished off the end of his butterbeer and stood up to leave. There was a bit of foam caught in his mustache.

"Um, Remus.." Luna chuckled as she grabbed a napkin off the table.

"What?" he asked.

Luna stood up and gingerly wiped the foam off of his face.

"Oh, thank you." Remus said nervously, his cheeks turning a rosy color.

"It was nothing." Luna said, and to her surprise, her cheeks shifted colors to match his.

"Well, then..." He said, and nervously cleared his throat, "shall we go?"

Remus walked ahead of her and opened the door, "Ladies first."

"Thank you, Remus." Luna said as she walked through the doorway.

As soon as they excited the Inn, Luna felt a shiver run up her spine. It was unseasonably cold that evening, and she had not worn her cloak.

Remus caught her shivering and shot her a tender look, "Cold?"

"I'll be fine. It's not a long walk back to the castle." She said as goosebumps began to form on her forearms.

"Nonsense." Remus said matter of factly. He removed his cloak and gently wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you." Luna found her cheeks growing red again. _I can't tell if he's just being nice, or if this is something more.._ She thought to herself.

Remus gave her a smile that warmed her far more than the cloak. 

*********

The two walked back to the castle in relative silence. Although once through the Grand Entrance, Remus insisted on escorting Luna back to her room.

When they reached her door, Luna stopped and removed Remus's cloak. She handed it back to him, and as he took it from her their hands brushed against each other. There was a moment of silence, and they both looked down at their hands.

Sensing the moment had gone on for an awkward amount of time, Luna pulled her hand away and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "Thank you for the drink, Remus. I had a lovely time tonight."

 _If this was actually a date, this is the part where he would kiss me._ Luna thought to herself, and she could have sworn that for a brief moment that Remus had looked at her lips.

"What are you doing in this part of the castle?" A cold voice filled the corridor.

Remus and Luna both gave a little jump, as if snapped out of their own little reality together.

Severus was walking towards them, his long black cloak flowing behind him.

"I was just making sure Luna got back to her room safely." Remus said nervously.

"Well, she's made it." Severus said coldly as he motioned to her door.

"Right." Remus adjusted his shirt nervously. "Good evening, Luna." He said before leaving.

Once Remus was out of earshot, Severus turned a harsh gaze towards Luna. "He's not the person you think he is. I know him better than you. He's a spineless excuse for a man. You ought to tread carefully making friends with someone like that."

"He told me all about when you were kids. He regrets it deeply. You should get to know the man Remus is now." Luna scolded him.

Severus scoffed. "I'm telling you. Do not get too comfortable with that man. I'm only trying to protect you."

It was Luna's turn to scoff now. "Goodnight Severus." she said coldly before entering her room and shutting the door quickly behind her.


	17. Resigned

Over the next few months, Remus and Luna went to Hogsmeade numerous times together. They went for drinks at The Three Broomsticks Inn, bought chocolate at Honeydukes, and on one occasion had went to Zonko's and joked about which products to use on Severus.

While there had been many of tender moments shared between the two during these jaunts, Remus had never made a move, and Luna resigned to the idea that any signs she saw of Remus having romantic feelings for her must have been in her head.

One morning Luna headed down to the dungeons to check on the Wolfsbane Potion before classes started. To her shock, she found an empty cauldron.

She banged on Severus's office door, and it opened on its own. Severus was sitting at his desk, looking rather disgruntled with the loud interruption. "Yes?" 

"What happened to the batch of Wolfsbane Potion I had started? It takes almost a whole month to prepare! If I have to start over, I won't have it ready in time for the next full moon!" Luna said angrily. 

"The Wolfsbane Potion is no longer needed." Snape said calmly, his attention returned to his paperwork.

"What are you talking about? Remus didn't suddenly stop having lycanthropy." Luna answered him, clearly flustered.

"Remus is no longer with us." Snape said calmly, his eyes rose from his papers to watch for Luna's reaction.

"What... what do you mean he's no longer with us? Did something happen? Is he okay?" Luna's voice started to fill with panic.

"Unfortunately, Remus is fine." Severus assured her. "He's just resigned."

"Resigned?" Luna said shocked. "No, Remus would have told me if he was planning on resigning."

"Apparently your new friend lost control recently. He went gallivanting on the grounds in full transformation. Thankfully, he didn't hurt any students. But some parents have now caught wind of his affliction, and they demanded for his immediate removal." Snape informed her.

"He would have told me..." Luna said softly.

Severus's face scrunched up in disgust, "I'm sorry, did you really think Remus was the kind of man who had the backbone to give people bad news? He's already gone."

"I don't believe you. Remus wouldn't have left without saying goodbye first." Luna said sternly, exited his office, and began to make her way to the second floor corridor.

*********

Luna knocked on Remus's door and anxiously awaited a response from within, but all she received was silence.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. The room was bare, and any signs that someone had been living there just a day prior had vanished.

Luna walked quietly into the room and stood there stunned. _He didn't even say goodbye._ She felt emptier inside than the room.

Luna heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Severus entering the room. 

"I know you don't think I do, but I still care about you. I warned you about him." Severus said softly.

"He... He probably was just in a rush because of the parents." Luna reasoned with herself, "I'll write him an owl and get this all sorted out. You'll see, you're wrong about him, Severus." Luna said as she hastily sat at Remus's old desk. She pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write.

_My Dear Remus,  
_

_I'm heartbroken to hear that you have had to resign from your position at Hogwarts. It isn't fair that you have to be punished because some people are afraid of things that they don't understand. I understand that you left in a rush, and might not have had the chance to say goodbye properly. I would like it if we could write each other from time to time. It is no substitute for talking to you in person, but I would be sad to lose our little chats all together._

_Sincerely,  
Luna Lightfoot_

Luna packed the letter and tapped the back of the envelope with her hand, a wax seal appearing. She rose from the desk and silently, walked past Severus, and turned to head in the direction of the owlery. 

Severus left the room quickly after she did, but instead of returning to the dungeons, he made his way to the castle grounds. 

He briskly walked across the grounds until he was standing below the owlery window. He looked up the the sky as if waiting for something. He was wringing his hands nervously.

A small black owl flew out of the owlery window, a letter attached to it's foot.

"Stupefy" Severus uttered, pointing his wand at the owl.

The owl froze, its wings mid flap, and plummeted to the ground.

Severus bent over and untied the letter from the bird's leg. He tucked it into his coat pocket, and then made his way back to the castle.


	18. London

The school year had come to an end, and no letter ever returned from Remus. Luna began to think that perhaps Severus was right about Remus all along.

Luna was once again packing her trunk to leave Hogwarts for the summer, when her door opened.

Luna looked up from packing and saw Severus standing in her doorway. To her surprise, he appeared nervous.

"Luna I..." He paused, "I have spent every night since you left my home last summer replaying that night in my head." He was speaking quickly, as if he had bottled all of his emotions for the last year, and they were finally spilling out, no longer willing to be contained.

"I rented a flat in London. I've been going to it every weekend for the last month to make it livable for the summer. I thought that maybe... You might be willing to spend summer with me? The whole summer this time."

"You're not returning to Spinner's End this summer?" She asked cautiously.

"No... And I don't have Lily's photo anymore." He added.

Luna's mind was racing. Severus had broken her heart last summer. She didn't want to forgive him for that, but his recent actions spoke much louder than any apology he could have given her. The fact that he had made an effort to move on from that old house and photo spoke volumes about his feelings and intentions towards her. She was torn.

"What if..." Luna began slowly, "I came to visit you this summer, just as friends?"

Severus's eyes looked at her sadly, but he forced a smile and nodded. 

*********

Severus opened the door to his new flat and motioned for Luna to enter first.

When Luna entered she was overwhelmed by how different the flat felt from Spinner's End. The flat was painted in bright colors, a roaring fire was lit in the fireplace, and the bookshelves were lined with books who's spines had yet to be cracked.

"It's gorgeous." She said, taking it all in. She walked over to the bookshelf and began to scan the titles. "You didn't have any of these at Spinner's End."

"No, I didn't." Severus said, "I thought it would be nice to get some new books for the new house." 

He motioned towards two armchairs next to the fireplace, "I was hoping that we could read them together."

Luna beamed at him.

*********

It didn't take long for the two to settle into a routine similar to the one they had last summer. They would take walks in the morning, cook dinner together in the evening, and read by the fire together late into the night.

Severus walked into the kitchen one evening to find Luna whisking a bowl of batter. She had a pink apron on a thin layer of flour coated her clothes.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he moved closer to investigate the bowl.

"I thought we might have some cake after dinner tonight. Just a little treat to celebrate the weekend." Luna said cheerily.

Severus gave a genuine chuckle.

"It's banana." She said happily as she dipped her finger in the batter. She popped her finger into her mouth and sucked the batter off her finger.

"You aren't supposed to eat raw eggs. You'll get sick." Severus lectured her.

"You're no fun." Luna teased as she removed her finger from her mouth. There was a bit of batter still on her lower lip.

"You missed some." Severus said as he moved closer to her. His hand tenderly held her chin as his thumb gingerly ran against her lower lip, cleaning the batter.

But he didn't remove his hand, and for a moment the two stood in the kitchen staring at each other as he cradled her head in his hand.

He slowly leaned forward, and gently pushed his lips into hers.

A wave of emotions overtook Luna. It was like in that moment all her feelings for Severus came flooding back to her. She dropped the wooden spoon she was holding on the floor, and instead used her hands to pull Severus closer to her.

Severus ran one hand through her hair, while the other snaked around her waist. He pulled her in tightly, until there was no longer any space between their bodies.

Their kisses grew more passionate as their lips began to roughly crash into one another. Severus began to walk forward, gently guiding Luna backwards until they reached the kitchen table. He reached forward and in one sweeping motion knocked everything on the table to the ground with a loud clatter.

He lifted her up and sat her on the kitchen table, once again closing the gap between them as she stepped into the space between her legs.

His lips never left hers as his hand reached down and slowly slid up her thigh, gently pushing the fabric of her dress up. He hand wandered further up until his fingers gently glided over her. He pressed his fingers firmly against her through her underwear.

Luna left out a soft moan and reached down, fumbling clumsily with Severus's pants.

Severus broke their kiss for a moment to give an arrogant chuckle, "Eager, are we?" He whispered darkly into her ear.

He reached down and quickly undid his pants himself, pulling out his already hard member.

He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss, his other hand wandering down and pulling her panties to the side before slowly sliding himself inside of her.

As he entered her, Luna leaned her head back and let out a soft moan. Severus took this opportunity to lean into her and begin to kiss along her exposed neck.

Luna wrapped her legs around Severus's waist and pulled him closer to her, causing him to fully enter her.

Severus left a love bite on her neck as she did this and began to rock his hips.

Luna wrapped her arms around Severus's shoulders, and he nestled his face into the small of her neck as he began to pump into her.

Her fingers began to dig into his shoulder blades as he thrust more roughly into her. From time to time he would let out a guttural moan, which wound send shiver's up her spine.

"Severus, I'm close." she whispered.

Severus leaned back slightly and with one hand clasped her chin in his hand. He guided her head to make her look him in the eye. His other hand wandered south and began to rub small circles on her clit.

She let out a moan and went to toss her head back in pleasure, but Severus pulled her head back into place to maintain eye contact.

The sensation of him rubbing her clit and his powerful thrusts became too much to bear, and Luna felt her body tighten. Her vision went blurry for a moment as she reached her release.

Her body clenched around Severus, which sent him into his own release. She felt his warmth spill into her.

His hand moved from her chin and gently caressed her cheek, and for the very first time he whispered, "I love you."


	19. The Triwizard Tournament

The summer had ended, and Luna and Severus had grown rather close over that time. She had begun to see a tender side to him that she wasn't sure anyone else had ever seen before. 

The two took their seats at the Head Table for the year's Sorting Ceremony. Minerva was once again leading a line of frightened children into the Grand Hall.

Luna reached over to Severus under the table and grabbed his hand, their fingers intertwined. Then, shockingly, Severus lifted their hands from under the table and placed them on the table, as if he no longer cared who saw. Luna couldn't help but smile at this sweet action.

Pomona took notice of the couple's hands on the table and flashed Luna a rather excited smile. 

When the Sorting Ceremony had finished, Dumbledore began to give his yearly announcements. The students let out rather miserable groans when he announced that there would be no Quidditch Cup this year. But as he began to announce the return of the Triwizard Tournament the doors to the Grand Hall slammed open. A heavy set man with a rather pronounced limp, a cane, and a wildly spinning magical eye entered the hall.

Dumbledore introduced him as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor; Professor Moody, but no one clapped. Severus's hand clenched Luna's tightly. She knew it had been a touchy subject for him that every year he applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but he could never seem to get it.

Moody took a seat at the Head Table next to Severus and Luna. While his normal eye focused on Dumbledore, his magical eye spun quickly in all directions, but frequently stopped to look Severus and Luna up and down. Luna felt rather uncomfortable.

"It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year." Dumbledore said as he continued his announcements.

"You're JOKING!" A student yelled, and the Grand Hall filled with students's laugher.

Albus gave a chuckle himself, "I am not joking, Mr. Weasley."

Dumbledore went on to explain more details about the tournament and how the students were to sign up, but it all just sounded like background noise to Luna. She could only focus on the unnaturally large blue eye that kept staring her and Severus down.


	20. The Four Champions

The last of the champions was about to be announced, and once again Severus and Luna were holding hands at the Head Table. Much to her displeasure, Luna caught Moody staring that their hands several times during the ceremony.

"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore bellowed.

The Grand Hall erupted into cheers. Everyone at the Head Table clapped, except for Severus. 

Pomona could hardly contain herself, "He's one of mine!" she exclaimed.

Cedric made his way to the front of the Grand Hall and then disappeared beyond a small door behind the Head Table to join the champions from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

Suddenly the Goblet of Fire's flame shifted from blue to red once more. A rather large flame shot towards the ceiling and a small piece of paper flew out. Dumbledore grabbed the parchment out of the air, "Harry Potter..."

The Grand Hall began to fill with the sound of hundreds of whispers. 

When Harry exited the door behind the Head Table, Severus rose swiftly to his feet and followed him, leaving Luna behind.

Moody, who had been sitting in the chair on the opposite side of Severus, took this opportunity to slide his chair over towards Luna. He skootched his chair over, and it gave several cries of resistance as its wooden legs slid across the floor. Luna felt her chest tense as he grew closer to her.

"You know, I was worried that Severus was a lost cause." He began to mumble, his eye rolling almost to the back of his head to gaze at the doorway that Severus had just walked though, "But seeing him here now... Really getting a good look at him in the _flesh;_ I'm relieved to see that he remains a loyal man."

Moody's emphasis on the word "flesh" made Luna uncomfortable, and she slid as far back on her chair as so could in a futile attempt to create some distance from him.

Without saying more, Moody rose to his feet and went to join the others in the backroom.

*********

That night, as Luna laid in bed resting her head on Severus's chest, she felt compelled to bring up Moody's odd behavior that evening to him.

"The entire ceremony he just kept looking at our hands. And then when you left he said something about being happy to see you in the flesh, but he made a really point of emphasizing flesh. He said he was worried that you were a lost cause, and something about you being a loyal man." Luna said.

"There is a reason people call him Mad-Eye Moony. And it isn't just because of that eye of his. Try not to take anything he says seriously." Severus said as he rolled over to fall asleep.

But Luna couldn't shake the feeling that Severus knew more than he was letting on.


	21. S.P.E.W.

Severus and Luna were enjoying some alone time in the staff room. Severus was sitting in a chair reading, and Luna was seated in a chair next to him with her legs up and resting on his lap. She was drinking tea in silence as she admired the way Severus's brow furrowed when he was concentrated.

There was a mousey knock at the door and a young girl's voice said, "I was wondering if I could have a moment?"

At the sound of the girl's voice, Severus sat up straight and shoved Luna's legs off his lap. This sudden shift in position made Luna almost spill her tea, and earned Severus a glare.

"Come in." Luna said.

Hermione Granger walked into the staff room clutching a clipboard and a small box.

"What is it, Miss Granger." Severus said rather annoyed.

"Well..." Hermione began, "I was hoping there was more people in here... Maybe I'll come back later." she said nervously and started to back up towards the door.

"Good." Snape muttered, and Luna shot him another look.

"Come on dear, you're already here. What is it that you wanted to say?" Luna said encouraging.

Hermione's face brightened and she set the box she was holding on the table. She pried it open, revealing numerus buttons of varying colors that each read "S.P.E.W."

"Spew?" Snape said with mild disgust.

"It's not _Spew_. It's S.P.E.W. It's short for The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare." Hermione corrected him harshly.

Snape scoffed.

"What's this about?" Luna said kindly.

"Well," Hermione began, "I'm not sure if you're aware, but house elves are being treated like slaves. They are expected to have undying loyalty to their masters, they do the most rotten of tasks for their master, and they do so without any kind of pay or holiday. It's absurd that in this day and age we still have slavery and everyone acts like it's okay!" Hermione's voice became quicker and louder the longer she talked, her facial expression becoming angrier as she went.

"I started S.P.E.W. in an attempt to bring awareness to this atrocity, and to help give house elves proper rights." Hermione added proudly, "I'm just here to see if any professors were interested in signing up."

Severus rolled his eyes and began to read his book again, clearly not willing to even entertain the subject.

"I'll sign it." Luna said smiling.

"I understand that you don't want to, it's fi-" Hermione cut herself off, "Wait, really?"

"Of course." said Luna.

"Excellent! You'll be the fourth member! If I could have your signature here, please." She held up a clipboard to Luna that had a small quill attached to it.

Luna signed her name below Ron Weasley's. "There you go."

"Would you like a badge? They're only two sickles, and all the money goes to the cause." Hermione said eagerly.

"Of course." Luna reached into her pocket, pulled out two sickles, and passed them to Hermione.

"What color would you like?" Hermione asked, tilting the box slightly so that Luna could get a better look of what she had to offer.

"I'll take a green one, thank you." Luna said as she plucked a green badge with hand drawn flowers on it out of the box.

"Thank you so much Professor Lightfoot!" Hermione said cheerily, "It's nice to know that _one_ of our potion masters actually has a heart." 

Severus's eyes peered over the top of his book at this comment and Luna chuckled.

When Hermione left, Severus closed his book and turned to Luna, "I can't believe you bought one of those things."

"What, you don't like it?" Luna said teasingly as she pinned the badge to her robe.

"Take that stupid thing off." Severus protested.

"I don't think I will." Luna taunted as she reclined in her chair and once again rested her legs on Severus's lap.


	22. Tea Time

It was a particularly warm Wednesday afternoon and Luna, Minerva, and Pomona were settling down to have their weekly get together.

"How is Cedric doing?" Luna asked Pomona who had just finished pouring everyone a cup.

"He's doing just fine, thank you. He had some rather nasty burns, but nothing that Madame Pomfrey couldn't handle." Pomona assured her.

"I still can't believe there are two champions for Hogwarts this year. You two must be proud, you each have a champion from your House." Luna said.

"I don't know if proud is the word I would use." Minerva said bluntly.

"Did Harry ever tell you how he managed to get his name cast into the Goblet of Fire?" Luna question as she attempted her first sip of tea, which was much too hot. She set the cup back on it's saucer.

"No. He insists that he had nothing to do with it." Minerva said.

"I would think Potter would have told you, and if not you then certainly Dumbledore." Pomona said as she added an ungodly amount of cream to her tea.

"Albus said that Potter told him the same thing as me. He said he had nothing to do with it, and Albus believes him." Minerva said.

"Well, then I'm sure he didn't have anything to do with it. Harry might be known to make some questionable decisions, but when it comes to lying, at least to you, and particularly Dumbledore, it just isn't something that I see him doing." Luna remarked.

Pomona nodded in agreement as she plopped three sugar cubes into her tea. "So, how are things going with Severus?" Pomona asked giddily.

"Actually..." Luna began, "It's been kind of odd."

"Odd?" Minerva raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of tea.

"The summer was wonderful. It was like we were in our own little world. And the start of the school year was going so well, but I feel like lately he's been drifting away from me." Luna said.

"What do you mean, I see you two holding hands every evening." Pomona asked biting into a crumpet laden with strawberry jelly.

"It's not about _that_ kind of attention." Luna said, her cheeks turning flush.

"Oh dear." Pomona said, dropping her crumpet back to her plate. "Hit a bit of a dry spell, have you?"

"It feels like more than that." Luna continued, "He hardly ever wants to be intimate anymore, and he's started wearing pajamas to bed at night."

Pamona gave a chortle, "Luna, dear, I don't think that wearing pajamas to bed is something that should be taken as a sign that someone is losing interest in you."

"What I mean to say, is that Severus hasn't taken his shirt off in front of me for weeks now. It just feels... weird. I don't know how else to explain it. It's like he's avoiding it." Luna said.

"Well, clearly you've just fallen out of your honeymoon phase. You just have to find the spark again." Minerva said wisely, "I have a suggestion if you're feeling...bold."

Pomona's eyes were transfixed on Minerva, eager to hear more.

"Go on..." Luna said nervously.

"There is a room," Minerva began, "On the seventh floor of the castle. It is located across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. If you look, there will be no room there. But, I've heard that if you pass the room three times thinking about what it is that you really need... Well, then the room provides."

"I don't know, Minerva..." Luna said hesitantly.

"Just a thought." Minerva said matter of factly as she reached for a crumpet.

"I'll keep it in mind." Luna said, although she wasn't really sure.


	23. The Yule Ball

Severus was standing with Minerva just outside the Grand Hall. They were directing the flow of students into the Yule Ball.

The soft repetitive clicking sound of heels echoed from down the dungeon corridor. Severus turned to follow the sound, and when his eyes set on Luna walking down the corridor his mouth hung slightly ajar.

She was wearing an emerald floor-length satin ball gown that hung daintily off her shoulders. The top of the dress was detailed with black lace, and the bottom seemed to glide across the ground as she walked. 

Minerva gave Severus a playful nudge, "Go on then."

This playful push momentary broke Severus from Luna's spell, and allowed him to make his way towards her. The two met at the base of the grand staircase and Severus, ever the gentleman, offered her his arm. "Will you do me the honor?"

Luna blushed so deeply that the pink color went the whole way down to her exposed shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his, and together they crossed over the threshold of the double doors into the Grand Hall.

Luna's eyes widened as she found herself lost in the ceiling of the Grand hall. The entire hall was a shimmery mixture of silver and blue, which gave the impression of standing inside of a mirror. Hundreds of thin icicles extended from the ceiling, many several feet long. Garland and mistletoe hung from the walls. The ceiling gave the impression of a starry night sky, and from it spilled thousands of snowflakes, which danced their way around the hall.

Behind the Head Table, which was dressed in a pure white tablecloth, stood an enormous pine tree that loomed over the hall; tiny snow piles nestled on it's branches

Luna's eyes lit up as her gaze danced around the hall, taking in every piece of breathtaking imagery. The one thing that she didn't see was Severus standing beside her, his gaze only focused on her, but with the same light in his eyes as hers.

"Would everyone please make way for the champions." Dumbledore announced.

Students and professors alike scattered from the center of the Grand Hall to make room for the champions and their partners to walk down the center aisle. 

The doors to the hall burst open and Minerva entered the Hall. The champions and their respective partners followed her in pairs down the center aisle. The Grand Hall was filled with applause. 

Instead of clapping like the rest, Severus snaked his hands tenderly around Luna's waist and he hugged her tightly against him from behind. 

After the champions had made their way to the head table, the students began to shuffle to find seats at the numerous round tables placed around the hall. The professors joined the champions at the head table.

Every table was set with golden plates, golden goblets, and a single paged menu. As each person read their desired meal aloud from the menu, their food appeared with a _pop_ noise on their plate.

When everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore rose to his feet, as did everyone else in the hall. He waved his wand, and all of the tables disappeared. The doors to the Grand Hall once again opened, and this time The Weird Sisters emerged from them. The hall once again filled with the sound of applause.

As the band began to play, students slowly made their way to the center of the hall and began to dance.

When they began to play their first slow song of the evening, Severus held his hand out to Luna, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course, Severus." Luna chimed as she placed her hand in his.

Severus guided her to the dance floor, and then wrapped his arm around the small of her waist. As they began to twirl, it seemed to Luna as if the room around them had begun to melt away.

As they waltzed, they passed Ron Weasley and Harry Potter sitting alone at a table together looking rather miserable. Ron leaned over to Harry and mumbled, "Can you believe Snape managed to get a date?"

Without missing a beat, Severus's hand left Luna's waist, rapped Ron upside the head, and then returned to it's rightful place on Luna's waist. Luna had to bite her lip to try to contain her laughter.

They danced late into the night, and didn't miss a single slow dance. When at last The Weird Sisters began to pack up their instruments, the two resigned to the dungeons for the night.

When they reached the end of the corridor, they stopped just outside of their bedroom doors. Severus tenderly placed his hand on Luna's cheek and pulled her in for a loving kiss.

Luna's hand found their way to Severus's shirt and she began to undo the buttons. To her surprise, his hand snapped to hers and tightly grabbed her by the wrist, forcing her to stop. She winced, he had grabbed her rather forcefully.

"Perhaps it's for the best if you spend the night in your room tonight." he said sternly.

He released her wrist from his grasp, and without another word retreated into his room. Luna heard the lock latch, and she stood dumbfounded in the corridor.

Reluctantly, Luna entered her own room and crumpled onto her bed. She sat hunched on her bed, her beautiful gown now heaped around her, and her eyes began to fill with tears. It had been such a beautiful night, and yet she still wasn't convinced that she wasn't losing him.


	24. Gillyweed

It was late at night, and the only sound in the dungeons was the scratching of Luna's quill on parchment.

A loud clatter suddenly arose from the storage room, causing Luna to drop her quill. 

She raised her wand and cautiously made her way to the storage room. The sound of glass jars clanging together and a muffled voice could be heard from the other side of the door.

Luna swiftly opened the door, and a house elf wearing mismatched socks let out a shrill scream.

Luna placed a hand on her chest, the sudden scream had startled her. She took a deep breath of relief as soon as she realized who she was looking at.

"Dobby!" she yelled, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Dobby began to nervously wring his hands together, his gaze shifting frantically from Luna back to the shelves, as if still searching for something while attempting to come up with a reasonable explanation as so why he was in the dungeons.

"Dobby is... needing something ma'am." Dobby trembled.

"What is it that you're looking for?" asked curiously.

"Well... You see ma'am... Dobby heard Professor Moody and Professor McGonagall talking in the staff room." Dobby began to furiously shake his head back and forth, "Dobby knows he should not have been eavesdropping, Ma'am... but Dobby was just trying to help Harry Potter is all. They have his Wheezy!"

"His Wheezy?" Luna said puzzled.

"Yes! They took his Wheezy! They gave his Wheezy to the merpeople! Oh it's horrible!" Dobby pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose rather loudly into it.

"Mr. Potter gave Dobby his freedom, and Dobby would love to help Mr. Potter get his Wheezy back in return. Professor Moody was talking to Professor McGonagall about gillyweed in the staff room, he was." Dobby said anxiously, his eyes still scanning the shelves surrounding them.

"Dobby, you can't just steal from the storage room." Luna said sternly as she gave her wand a flick. The glass bottles that were scattered on the ground floated into the air and returned to their rightful places on the shelves.

Dobby began to smack his face onto the floor repeatedly, each hit harder than the last. "Bad Dobby. Bad!" He screamed.

Luna bent over and placed her hand between Dobby's head and the ground, catching it before it could receive another blow from the stone floor.

"What I mean, is that if you needed something, you simply had to ask." She said kindly.

She reached to a shelf on her left, and procured a jar containing gillyweed. She handed it to Dobby. "This will be our little secret." she said with a wink.

"Oh, Professor Lightfoot is too kind to Dobby!" Dobby wept, his eyes instantaneously filling with tears. "Too nice!" He once again blew loudly into his handkerchief.


	25. The Room of Requirement

Luna found herself thinking about the mysterious room that Minerva had told her about at one of their weekly get togethers. 

Minerva had said the room would provide what you needed, but Luna wasn't quite sure what that meant. 

However, at this point, she was willing to try most anything to shake her concerns that Severus was slipping away from her.

"Where are we going?" Severus asked as they passed the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy for the first time.

"I told you, it's a surprise." Luna said, although truth be told, she wasn't exactly sure herself.

They passed the tapestry a second time.

"Luna, there isn't a room here." Severus said sternly.

"Just one more time." she insisted.

They strode past the tapestry a third time, and this time a heavy wooden door appeared on the wall opposite of it.

Severus's head tilted in surprise, "Curious..."

The two entered into a dimly lit room. Hanging on the walls were various whips, riding crops, and other toys of varying sizes. On the wall opposite from them, the only thing that hung was a set of long silky restraints.

 _Minerva, what on Earth..._ Luna thought to herself.

Severus said nothing, and instead firmly took Luna's hand into his and guided her across the room to the dangling silk restraints. He pressed her up against the stone wall and kissed her roughly. The silk ties seemed to come alive and slithered down the wall until they reached Luna's arms. They snaked around her wrists and pulled themselves taunt, leaving her practically hanging from the wall.

Severus smiled deviously and began to attack her neck with a flurry of kisses and love bites. When he finally pried himself from her neck, he looked intensely into her eyes with his obsidian orbs. "We're going to need a safe word, darling." he gloated.

"Peppermint." Luna whispered.

"Peppermint it is." Severus said with air of arrogance.

He stared at her with that intense look that only he could provide and began to roll up his sleeves.

"Peppermint!" Luna suddenly yelled, her voice shaking. At the sound of the safe word, the silk ties automatically released her.

"I haven't even touched you yet..." Severus began, but he quickly noticed that Luna's gaze was fixed on his forearm. He looked down at it and hastily went to cover it with his other hand. "It isn't what you think."

"How can it be anything other than what I think?" Luna choked, "Is that, or is that not, a dark mark?"

"... It is a dark mark, but-" Severus began.

"I don't want to hear it." Luna hissed. "Severus, I'm a _muggle born_ for Godric's sake! Wearing that mark means that you have dedicated your life to _exterminating_ people like me! How can you have that filthy mark on your arm and claim to love me?!" her face was red hot with rage.

"You don't understand." Severus snapped.

"I understand just fine." she scolded, and with that she stormed out of the room.

*********

Luna flounced down the dungeons corridor, her mind absolutely racing as she made her way towards her room. She froze halfway down the corridor, and slowly turned her attention to the door to Severus's office.

Up until this moment, Luna had respected Severus's privacy, and had never gone through his things. But now, she was determined to find answers for herself as to just what kind of man Severus was.

"Alohomora." she commanded and the latch to the office clicked open.

Luna began frantically opening every drawer in Severus's desk, unsure of what it was she was really looking for. She found a list of ingredients that needed restocking, a series of lesson plans, and a rather lengthy list of reasons as to why Harry Potter should be expelled.

She had all but given up, when a shimmer of blue light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A lone pensive sat on a shelf, the enchanting swirling blue color of the mysterious substance that filled it appeared to call out to her. She knew that she shouldn't, but she let her anger get the best of her, and she plunged herself into it.

The room around her began to spin and slowly the walls of the dungeons began to fade into the grassy grounds of Hogwarts. She could see Severus standing alone next to the castle, nervously wringing his hands.

As she approached him, she heard him call out "Stupefy!" and a small black owl fell to the ground at his feet. 

She watched as he bent over and untied something from the owl's ankle, and she moved closer to get a better look. 

Her mouth dropped when she recognized her own handwriting on the outside of the envelope. She remained frozen in place as she watched Severus tuck the letter into his coat pocket and head backs towards the castle entrance.

The castle grounds began to spin, and they were once again replaced with the stone walls of Severus's office.

"What are you doing in here?" Severus asked her coldly.

Luna turned to see Severus standing in the doorway, his expression a mixture of anger and fear.

"You... You took my letter!" she began to yell furiously, "I thought he never wrote back to me, but you made sure he never even got the letter in the first place!"

"I was trying to protect you." He said, standing his ground.

"You weren't trying to protect me." She hissed, "You were trying to protect yourself. You were afraid of what could have been between Remus and I."

Luna began to feel her thoughts spiraling, and she began to angrily rant, "All this time you knew... You knew, and you let me believe that Remus had simply dropped me from his life."

Severus opened his mouth to defend himself, but Luna continued to yell over him.

"You knew when you asked me to summer with you in London. You knew the night where we... You knew the night you said you loved me for the first time. You knew, and yet you looked me in the eyes and lied about loving me."

Tears were begin to well in Severus's eyes, but he held them back. "I lost a girl I cared deeply about to one of the Marauders once, and I would be damned before I let another one take another woman from me. Yes, I hid the letter from you, but I have _never_ lied to you, Luna. I love you."

"You don't love me, Severus. This isn't love." she cursed.

Without another word, Luna stormed past him and returned to her room, where she immediately fell to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably. 

As it turns out, the Room of Requirement was aptly named, for it had shown her not what she wanted, but rather what she required.


	26. Change

Luna spent the night packing. She couldn't stand to be in the castle a day longer, especially knowing that her and Severus's bedrooms shared a wall.

"Locomoto trunk." she whispered with sniffle, and she, and her life packed in a box, left the dungeons.

She made her way to the Gargoyle Corridor on the second floor and uttered "cockroach cluster" to the Stairwell Gargoyle.

There was a loud clanging noise, as if gears and stone were grinding, and the gargoyle began to spin. A moving spiral staircase rose from the ground and began to tightly wind its way towards the ceiling. Luna stepped onto the staircase and rode it to the top, stepping off when she had reached the headmaster's office.

She knocked hesitantly on the door.

"Yes?" called a warm voice from within.

"I was hoping for a word..." Luna said solemnly. 

The door swung open and Luna was greeted by the sight of Albus sitting at his desk. His room was lined with portraits of Headmasters gone by, all of whom appeared to be asleep at the moment. "What can I do for you, Professor Lightfoot?"

Luna slunk into a velvet lined chair across from Dumbledore's desk.

"Ah, something unpleasant then." he said knowingly as he peered at her from behind his half-moon glasses.

"I..." Luna began, struggling to find the words, "I know you said my job would be here so long as I wanted to remain at Hogwarts..."

"But you no longer see yourself staying?" Albus finished for her.

"No..." Luna whispered.

"Well, I would never force someone to stay against their will. Although, I must tell you that your presence at this school will be deeply missed." He paused for a moment, "I wonder if you could humor an old man by hearing out another job offer?"

"Of course, Albus." she said.

"Do you remember the wizard who just over a year ago escaped from Azkaban?" Dumbledore questioned.

"How could I forget? We patrolled the halls nearly every night to make sure that Sirius Black didn't get into the castle." Luna said, her interest peaked.

"Yes, well, it appears that perhaps we were wrong about Sirius Black." 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it turns out that Sirius Black was not the man who killed all those muggles. Nor was he the man who killed Peter Pettigrew. In fact, Peter is very much alive."

"What?" Luna said shocked.

"Sirius Black spent twelve years in Azkaban being punished for crimes, that in truth, Peter had committed. You see, Peter was a traitor, and was working for Voldemort all along."

Luna winced at the sound of this name.

"Peter has returned to his master's side now I'm afraid." Dumbledore said seriously.

"You mean he's back..." Luna questioned cautiously. 

"Oh, yes. Harry saw his resurrection himself. He has returned, along with several loyal Death Eaters." Dumbledore continued.

At the words "Death Eaters", images of Severus's forearm flashed into Luna's head. 

"Albus!" She said, suddenly panicked, "Severus has a death mark on his arm. I saw it myself tonight. If he-who-must-no-be-named has really returned, then we have to do something about Severus."

"You can trust Severus." Dumbledore said calmly, as if none of this information was new to him.

"But he-" Luna began.

"I trust him implicitly, and so should you." Dumbledore said a little more sternly.

Luna sat in silence, the rush of thoughts in her hear were much to loud for her to speak.

"Now then, about that job offer..." Dumbledore began, "During the first rise of Voldemort, I formed a secret society known as The Order of the Phoenix in order to fight him. Now that it would appear that Voldemort is once again rising into power, I am once again gathering The Order to answer the call of battle. If you're interested, a potions master is a valuable thing to have in your pocket during a time of war."

"I'll do it." Luna said without hesitation. "I won't sit idly by and watch he-who-must-not-be-named carry out a genocide."

"You won't sit by and watch Voldemort carry out a genocide." Dumbledore corrected her, "Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"I won't sit by and watch V- Voldemort carry out a genocide." she stuttered.

"If you're interested, I'm sure the other members of The Order can fill you in on the history of The Order and just where we stand in our current efforts against Voldemort." Dumbledore said as he began to write on a rather small piece of parchment.

"I am the secret keeper for the order." Dumbledore began, "This is where you can find our base of operations. Make sure you memorize it, for no one else but me will be able to help you find the location should you forget."

He held up the tiny piece of parchment so that she could read it.

_The headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

"Do you have it?" Dumbledore asked.

Luna nodded, and with that Dumbledore tossed the piece of parchment behind him. It made contact with Fawkes, and instantly burst into flames.

Luna left that night for London.


	27. 12 Grimmauld Place

Luna arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place early the next morning. The moment she entered the house, she heard the shrill voice of a woman scream from upstairs, "There's a mudblood in my house!"

Luna froze, suddenly feeling very unwelcome.

"Oh don't mind the old bat!" A red haired cheery woman said as she wandered from the kitchen to the entrance way.

"I'm Mrs. Weasley, I'm sure you've met my children. Anyway, you can call me Molly." Molly was speaking so quickly that Luna couldn't get a word in.

"Now, then, you're looking rather worse for wear. Was it a rough trip? I'll bet you're starving, I mean look at you!" She started to wander back into the kitchen, "Breakfast is just about ready, and I was about to put a kettle on."

"Oh, thank you Molly. That's very kind of you. I'm just going to go get unpacked first." Luna began, but Molly grabbed her by the shoulders and plopped her down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"Nonsense!" Molly said brightly, "There's plenty of time for all that after breakfast."

Molly turned to look at the ceiling and shouted loud enough for people on the floor above her to hear, "Breakfast is ready!"

There was a loud _crack_ noise and suddenly a pair of red haired twins appeared next to Molly.

Molly jumped and let out a little squeal before hollering, "Boys! Just because you've passed your apparition test doesn't mean you have to use it every time you want to change rooms!"

Molly turned her attention to Luna and cheerily said, "Now then, this is Fred and George. But I'm sure you've seen them around school." as she said each boys name, she placed a hand on their shoulder.

"He's not Fred, I am!" one of the twins jested.

"Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother." The other said as he shook his head in disappointment.

Molly's gave both boys a smack upside the head, "Stop playing games!"

Two sets of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, and then entering the kitchen.

"This is Sirius." Molly said, gesturing towards a rather thin man with long wavy brown hair.

"And this is-" Molly began, but Luna cut her short.

"Remus." Luna said shocked.

"Oh, you know each other?" Molly beamed.

"We've met." Remus said, "We worked at Hogwarts together."

"Oh, that's right!" Molly said. "Anyway, that's everyone who is here today I'm afraid. People come and go a lot, I'm sure you'll meet the others in good time. Dig in everyone!" Molly waved her wand and plates piled high with various breakfast foods floated to the kitchen table.

The kitchen filled with chatter as everyone ate their breakfast, but Remus and Luna remained silent, occasionally exchanging glances across the table.

*********

After breakfast, Sirius took Luna upstairs and lead her to an empty room about halfway down the hall. "This one will be yours. Do you need help getting unpacked?"

"I can manage, thank you." Luna said with a smile, and Sirius returned downstairs.

Luna had only just begun to unpack where there was a knock at the door. 

"Come in." She called, her hands busy pulling clothes from her trunk.

The door opened and Remus stepped into the room, "How have you been?" he said nervously.

Luna threw the article of clothing she had in her hand back into trunk and turned around to face him. She was hurt. Hurt from Severus keeping her letter from Remus, but also hurt from Remus never writing to her either. And now he had the audacity to walk into her room and pretend like nothing had happened.

"You didn't say goodbye, and now you think you can just come knocking for a bit of small chat? Really, Remus?" she said angrily. 

Remus nervously rested his hand on the back of his head and looked to the floor, "I... I thought it was for the best."

"Best for who, Remus?" she pushed.

"I just... I thought it was best for you. I've never been the best addition to most people's lives. I hadn't known you for long, and I thought it would hurt you less if I simply cut ties and left." Remus's eyes dared not leave the floor.

"You didn't even leave a note. Nothing. You were just gone." Luna reprimanded him.

"I'm sorry." Remus said softly.

"Get out." Luna hissed, and reluctantly, Remus obliged.


	28. Longing

Luna quickly learned that being trapped in a small house with someone for days at a time makes it hard to hold a grudge. Over the course of the next few weeks, her and Remus began to rekindle their friendship.

In the mornings, it was not uncommon for the pair of them to be the first people awake in the house. They would spend this quiet time drinking coffee together while Remus raid The Daily Prophet. When Remus would come upon an interesting article, he would read it aloud so that they could talk about it afterwards. Luna had introduced Remus to putting cinnamon in his coffee, and now it was the only way he would take it. Although this morning routine typically only lasted for an hour or so, it had become both Remus and Luna's favorite part of the day.

In the afternoons, Luna would be hard at work making sure that The Order was well stocked with remedies for various maladies that they might encounter, and of course, a cauldron of Wolfsbane Potion. Remus could often be found reading in an armchair not far from her. Although they rarely spoke while she worked, they both got a sense of comfort from one another's presence. 

In the evenings, Sirius would often become the center of attention by telling stories of his youth to anyone who was willing to listen. More often than not, it was Luna and Remus that he would trap in the living room to listen to his tales. Which were, for the most part, about women. 

To everyone except Sirius, the pair appeared to be rather close friends. Sirius, ever the ladies man, had begun to sense something more in the way his dear friend lingered his gaze at Luna. He had on more than one occasion seen Luna ask for Remus to pass her an ingredient, and witnessed Remus's fingers nervously twitch when they brushed against hers.

"You fancy her." Sirius said rather accusatorily one evening, the moment Remus opened his bedroom door.

Remus quickly shut his door behind him, afraid that someone might overhear them. "Have you been waiting for me in here?"

"Not for long." Sirius said with a childish grin. He was seated on Remus's bed, his legs dangling over the edge and swinging back and forth.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Remus said, pretending that he was shuffling through papers in his desk.

"Yes, you do." Sirius taunted

He hopped off the bed and strode confidently over to Remus, "So, does she know how you feel?"

"I don't think so." Remus said. He knew better than to try to hide something from Sirius. It would be less painful to tell him what he wanted to know than it would be to try to deny it and face endless torment until you eventually gave in.

"Well, then you should tell her." Sirius said plainly.

"I can't." Remus said, surprisingly sternly.

"And why not?" Sirius questioned.

"You know exactly why. People like me don't belong in relationships." He said solemnly.

"What, nerds?" Sirius said playfully.

Remus shot him a rather nasty glare, "Everything isn't a joke, Sirius. I've had feelings for Luna since we first met at Hogwarts... When she showed me a kindness that I'm not used to receiving."

"My point exactly." Sirius said, "I can tell that she fancies you too, so why don't you just make a move already?"

"It's not that simple. I'm a werewolf for Godric's sake. I would only ever be a burden to her for the rest of her life." Remus argued.

"Don't you think it should be up to her what she considers to be a burden in her life?" Sirius asked, but Remus ignored the question.

"And what if one day we decided to have children, and they came out... like me." Remus sighed.

"So... You've thought about having children with her?" Sirius pressed.

"Sirius! It isn't funny." Remus was becoming agitated.

"All I'm getting at," Sirius began, "is that I know better than most that there is a lot of darkness in this world. Life is short and filled with suffering; especially in times like this. If you have a chance to grab a sliver of happiness, for however long it may last, well then I suggest you take it. You'll regret it if you don't. Tell her."

"That may be the wisest thing you've ever said." Remus said stunned.

"I have my moments." Sirius grinned.

*********

Inspired after talking with Sirius, Remus made his way downstairs, determined to tell Luna how he really felt.

Luna was sitting on the couch in the living room with a knitted blanket pulled over her. She was reading by the light of the fireplace. 

Remus took a seat next to her on the couch, but she didn't look up from her book.

"Ahem." Remus nervously coughed.

"Yes?" Luna said looking up to a rather shaken looking Remus.

"I uh- I was just wondering if you knew what time the weekly meeting was going to be this week." The words practically raced out his mouth.

Luna's brow furrow in confusion, "It's at one... Like it is every week."

"Right." Remus rose to his feet, "Thank you." and with that he returned upstairs.

 _How odd_. Luna thought.


	29. Christmas at Grimmauld Place

Several weeks had gone by, and despite Sirius's constant prodding, Remus had still not mustered up the courage to tell Luna how he really felt.

"Listen, if you aren't going to do it yourself, then I'm going to have to give you a little push." Sirius said.

"What do you mean by 'a little push'" Remus questioned nervously.

"Oh, you'll see." Sirius said with a devilish grin.

*********

Sirius made the next week a living hell for Remus. He had begun to take every opportunity he could to boldly flirt with Luna. 

He interrupted their morning coffee routine every morning that week, nestling himself in a chair between the two of them.

"Could you top me off, love?" Sirius asked Luna as he held his empty coffee cup up to her.

As soon as Luna had filled his cup, Sirius would shoot her a "Thanks, love" with a wink. 

His wink always made her giggle, and Remus felt as if he was doing it nonstop. A little ball of rage would build up inside him each time he watched one of these little interactions.

During his evening story time, Sirius would now stop mid story of his escapades and say something along the lines of, "Of course, she wasn't nearly as ravishing as you." 

"Of course." Luna would tease back.

While Remus was bursting at the seems watching Sirius behave that way with Luna, Luna thought nothing of it. She knew all too well of Sirius's reputation, after all, he had been the one to tell her all those stories. She saw this behavior as nothing more than playful banter; a way for Sirius to keep himself entertained while locked inside the house day in and day out. She played along, but it never meant anything, and everyone except for Remus saw it that way.

*********

The kids returned to Grimmauld Place for Christmas, and after the close call with Mr. Weasley, The Order felt that a little Christmas party might be just the thing to raise morale.

The living room hosted a rather modest tree in the corner, decorated with bits and baubles donated from everyone in The Order. Molly had baked dozens of Christmas cookies, and the smell of vanilla filled the house. A single strand of garland lined the living room, and paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. An enchanted violin in the corner played hauntingly beautiful music.

At Molly's behest, everyone was to dress in formal attire for the party. 

Luna was wearing a form fitted black cocktail dress that went to her knees. It had long sleeves made of delicate see-through lace, and a plunging neckline. 

"She looks absolutely gorgeous." Remus said as he admired her from across the room.

"Ask her to dance." Sirius nudged.

"No, no. Now's not a good time. She's talking to Molly right now, wouldn't want to be rude and interrupt." Remus said nervously.

But Sirius, having heard enough of Remus's excuses, had began to leave Remus's side half way through his sentence and make his way across the room to Luna. 

"Excuse me, Miss" Sirius said in a rather official tone, "May I have this dance?"

"How could I say no?" Luna teased and took Sirius's arm.

The two began to twirl in the center of the living room, Sirius's eyes focused on Remus who was still in the corner of the room. The longer they danced, the farther down Luna's back his hands began to wander. He locked eyes with Remus and slowly began to reach for Luna's butt, at which point Remus swiftly made his way across the makeshift dancefloor.

"Ahem- I was wondering if I could cut in?" Remus asked nervously.

"Please." Sirius graciously bowed and ushered his arm outwards towards Luna.

Luna rolled her eyes at Sirius's obnoxious behavior and wrapped her arms Remus. The two began to softly sway. Remus caught a glimpse of Sirius over Luna's shoulder. He was sitting across the room, giving him two thumbs up, a rather idiotic grin plastered on his face.

Remus made sure to lead his dance partner across the room in a way that he would no longer have to look at Sirius. 

As the two danced, Remus felt as if everyone and everything around him was melting away. In this moment it was just the two of them swaying their bodies in unison. The song came to an end, but Luna and Remus found themselves still standing there in the middle of the living room holding on to one another.

Remus looked down at her tenderly, and Luna felt her heart skip a beat. He placed his hand gingerly on her cheek, and slowly pulled her into him. Their lips pressed together sweetly, and for a moment it was as if time had stopped.

 _Bang!_ A door loudly slammed shut. Everyone in the room stopped and turned to the front door, where Severus was standing just beyond the threshold. His cold eyes were fixed in a deathly stare at Remus, but he began to speak in a calm voice, as if he wasn't bothered.

"Dumbledore has requested that I teach Potter occlumency." Severus began, "If one of you would be so kind as to fetch him for me. I have to set up a teaching schedule with him."

"I'll get him." Sirius broke the silence of the room.

The interruption had ruined the mood, and the party quickly came to an end.

Luna laid awake in bed late into the night that night. She couldn't get the thought of what had happened at the party out of her mind. It had almost felt like a dream, and she was eager to talk to Remus about it during their morning coffee.


	30. Keepsake

Luna headed downstairs, expecting to meet Remus at the kitchen table for their morning coffee. To her surprise, Molly was the only one in the kitchen.

"Good morning, dear!" Molly said cheerfully when she saw Luna enter the room.

"Morning Molly... You haven't seen Remus have you?" Luna asked.

"Oh, that Remus is such a sweetheart! I was getting ready this morning to take a guard shift at the Ministry, and Remus offered to take my shift for me so that I could spend more time with Arthur while he recovers. Isn't that just so thoughtful of him!" Molly beamed.

"That's wonderful, Molly." Luna attempted to say cheerfully, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was just Remus once again attempting to avoid her.

*********

The next few hours went agonizingly slow, and Luna felt like the more she stared at the clock, the more it's hands seemed to stand still.

When it finally got close to when Remus should be returning, Luna decided that she wasn't going to give him another opportunity to give her the slip. She went upstairs and slipped in his room, determined to catch him when he inevitably went there to avoid her.

Luna quietly shut the door behind her, and made her way to Remus's desk to sit and wait for his return. She never made it.

She found herself frozen standing in front of Remus's desk, her eyes transfixed on a small orb on Remus's desk. The orb was made of glass and inside of it rested a perfectly bloomed moonflower, the very same one that she had given to him nearly two years ago.

"He kept it..." Luna whispered to herself.

The moment Remus opened his bedroom door, Luna pulled him into her and kissed him.

Caught off guard, Remus took a quick step back, "What was that for?"

"I wanted to talk to you about last night. I haven't been able to stop thinking about our kiss... and I wanted to see if it really meant something, or if you were simply caught up in the moment. But then I saw that." Luna pointed to the moonflower, "And any questions that I might have had were answered."

Remus's face seemed to melt into a smile, and he took Luna's hands into his. "If I'm being completely honest, I knew that I loved you the moment you gave me that flower. Not a night has gone by since that day where I didn't dream of you."

Overwhelmed by emotion, Luna pulled Remus into her and once again pressed her lips into his. 

Remus placed one hand on Luna's cheek, the other on her waist, and pulled her in tightly against him.

Luna began to slide Remus's jacket off of him, and as it hit the floor, Remus gave her an astonished look. She flashed him a tender smile, and for the first time, a look of confidence appeared on Remus's face.

He scooped her up bridal style, which made Luna let out a rather cute giggle. He carried her over to his bed and carefully placed her on his sheets. He kicked his shoes off, shoved them aside, and then climbed into the bed.

He took his time unbuttoning her blouse, admiring each bit of her skin that became more visible as he went, like an archeologist uncovering an ancient treasure.

Luna removed his shirt, and was at first taken aback by the number of scars covering Remus's chest. 

Remus bit his lip nervously as Luna's eyes traced the scars on his chest, but to his surprise she leaned in and gave one on his pec a gentle kiss. 

When the two were finally undressed, he climbed gingerly on top of her, and tenderly rested his hand on her cheek. His warm eyes met hers, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Remus. I'm absolutely sure." she said as she stared back into his eyes in complete awe of him.

Remus gently pulled her head up to meet his, and pressed his lips softly against hers as he slowly slid himself into her.

His hips pressed in and out of her slowly as his hand ran through her hair. His kisses were loving and tender. 

Luna wrapped her arms around Remus's neck and pulled him in even closer, goosebumps appearing on her skin as it pressed against his. 

Remus began to slowly pick up his pace, and as he did so he buried his face in the small in Luna's neck. She ran her fingers through his now messy hair, and in return Remus began to place delicate kisses all along her neck.

His hand slid down her body, his fingertips tracing her every curve until he reached her clit, which he began to rub in soft circles.

This caused Luna to let out a soft gasp, and she could feel Remus's lips smile against her neck at the sound of her.

Remus's fingers began to move faster, and his hips followed suit. His lips returned to Luna's and he kissed her rather fervently.

Luna felt the muscles of her body starting to tighten, and her grip around Remus's neck reflected this. She clung tightly to him, their bodies molding into one as she reached her climax in his arms.

Her high caused her muscles to tighten around Remus, and with a primal growl, he also reached his. He remained inside of her for a moment, and lovingly lifted her chin so that he could once again press his soft lips into hers.

Remus laid on his back, and Luna nestled herself beside him, her head resting on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, and held her close. 

The door to Remus's room opened and Sirius poked his head in, "Remus, have you seen Kreacher? I can't find the ugly bastard anywhere." he said in a rather annoyed voice. It took only a moment for Sirus to notice the couple in bed together, and a rather obnoxious smile appeared on his face, "Atta-boy!" Sirius yelled.

Remus grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sirius's head, but Sirius was too quick and had managed to shut the door just in time. The pillow hit the door and fell to the floor with a soft thud.


	31. Jealousy

Remus and Luna's relationship developed rather quickly after that night, and within a week's time, Luna had moved all of her belongings into Remus's room.

If the two had spent a lot of time together before, they were now nearly inseparable. The only time where they weren't together is when one of them was out performing tasks for The Order.

Luna learned that in addition to Remus's other symptoms, the week leading up to the full moon also gave him quite the libido boost. This resulted in them christening nearly every room in the house, much to the displeasure of the portrait of Walburga Black, who now frequently made crude comments about half-breeds and mudbloods breeding in her house.

It was rather late one night Luna wandered downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. The light at the tip of her wand was likely the only one in the entire house, which was filled with the silence of everyone sleeping.

To her surprise, Luna was not a alone. She bumped into Severus in the entranceway, a small envelope clasped tightly in his hands. He was clearly making another one of his drop offs for The Order, but the expression on his face was particularly foul that night.

"Is everything okay, Severus?" Luna asked.

"It's nothing." Severus said dismissively.

"Severus, I know you better than anyone, so please just spare me a spat and tell me." Luna said defensively. 

Severus remained silent for a moment, mulling over whether or not it was worth fighting about, but clearly he decided that it wasn't, because he began to speak, "It's Potter. He went snooping in my office and discovered a particularly painful memory in my pensieve. The little brat. I go out of my way to attempt to teach him occlumency, which he clearly lacks the mental fortitude and commitment for mind you, and he pulls something like this."

"That pensieve of yours has gotten you into a lot of trouble, Severus. Perhaps it would serve you better if you were more open with people instead of squirreling your thoughts and feelings away in a dish." Luna lectured.

"And perhaps it would serve you better if you could learn to be less _open_." He snarled at her, "I have on more than one occasion heard you and that wolf boy having a go at one another. Perhaps it would be prudent of you to learn a silencing spell."

Severus gave her a cold glare, the likes of which he had never given her before, and left.


	32. Sirius

Luna was laying on her and Remus's bed, lost in the pages of a book, when Remus crept into the room. 

His eyes traced her bare legs up to her black silky nightgown that barely covered her. He found himself enthralled with the sight of her, and made his way to the foot of the bed. He climbed up and began to slowly climb on all fours up the bed until he reached her. He placed a tender kiss on her ankle and began to slowly make his way up to her thigh, leaving a trail of kisses as he went.

Luna looked up from her book and down at one of her favorite sights, Remus between her legs. "Can I help you?" she teased.

"Don't mind me, love." He said coyly as he slowly lifted the fabric of her nightgown up, revealing a pair of white lace panties underneath. He placed a tender kiss on her over her panties.

Luna felt a shiver run up her spine when he did this, and she placed the book she had been reading on the nightstand.

"Lay back, darling." He whispered as he slowly pulled her panties aside.

Luna made no objections and laid back against the pile of pillows behind her.

Remus's lips wrapped around her, and his tongue began to dance in small slow circles on her clit.

Luna's hand fumbled for her hand on the nightstand, "Muffilato." she managed to get out before the first of her moans left her lips.

Remus smiled at the sound of her and slowly slid a finger inside. 

Luna instinctively arched her back and sighed in pleasure, her hand tightening it's grip on the back of Remus's head, the motion forcing Remus's face harder against her.

This seemed to ignite something in Remus and as he inserted a second finger he began to thrust them in and out of her quickly, his tongue rapidly dancing against her clit.

"Remus!" she shouted in ecstasy.

The sound of his name caused him to lift his gaze, and his eyes locked with hers as he continued to work his magic. A flicker of pride appeared in his eyes, knowing he was the one making her feel this way.

The sight of Remus between her legs with that look in his eyes was enough to send Luna over the edge, and her hips began to buck as she reached her climax.

Remus removed his fingers from her, and used both of his hands to force her hips still, his tongue still running over her as she rode out her high. When she had finished, Remus kissed his way up her stomach, chest, shoulder, and eventually ended with a shower of kisses on her neckline.

*********

After their little romp, Luna went to get them both some water. As she walked down the stairs, Kreacher passed her and casually muttered, "The mudblood and half-breed missed a call from Potter while they were touching each other."

Luna stopped midway down the stairs and turned to face Kreacher, "What did he want?"

Kreacher flashed a rather nasty smile, "I don't have to answer to you. You're not my master."

"Sirius!" Luna immediately shouted up the stairs.

Both Sirius and Remus came running to the stairs at the sound of her screaming.

"What? What?!" Sirius said rather panicked.

"Kreacher has just informed me that Harry called, but he is refusing to tell me what he wanted." Luna said.

"Kreacher." Sirius said sternly, "Tell me what Harry wanted. Now."

Kreacher let out a long drawn out sigh, "Potter appeared in the fireplace looking for Master Black. I told him Master wasn't here." Kreacher shrugged.

"Kreacher, I was just upstairs. Why did you lie to him?" Sirius said angrily.

"Potter isn't my master. I don't have to tell him anything." Kreacher said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"Did he say anything else?" Sirius pressed.

Kreacher let out another sigh, "Yes. Potter asked if Master Black was at the Ministry of Magic."

"And what did you tell him?" Sirius asked leerily.

"I told him master wouldn't be returning home." Kreacher said with a wide devilish smile that showed off his rotten teeth.

"You little bastard!" Sirius yelled and raised a hand as if to strike Kreacher.

Remus caught his hand, and prevented the hit, which allowed Kreacher to run upstairs laughing giddily.

"If he thinks I'm in danger, he's going to go looking for me himself. I don't know what gave him the idea that I would be at the Ministry, but this can't be anything other than a trap. We have to get there before he does. I'll wake the others, get ready to leave as soon as possible. " Sirius demanded.

Luna began to head upstairs to get ready, but Remus grabbed her arm and stopped her, "Luna... I think you should stay behind."

"I'm not helpless, Remus." Luna scolded him.

"I know you're not... It's just that... Well, someone has to remain behind incase Harry tries to make contact again." Remus sounded flustered.

"Molly will be here." Luna retorted.

"Luna... Please." Remus begged.

Luna gave a heavy hearted sigh, "Fine."

Remus took a deep breath of relief and released her arm from his grasp.

*********

Molly and Luna sat nervously by the fireplace in silence, hoping that at any moment Harry's face would appear in the flames. It had been hours since a small group of The Order left, and they hadn't heard from them nor from Harry. 

Molly reached her hand over and placed it gently on top of Luna's, "It's going to be okay dear."

"How do you know?" Luna asked, her voice shaking.

"...Because it has to." Molly said somberly.

The front door swung wildly open with a bang and a cluster of Order members stumbled into the house. Their clothes were tattered, some had burn marks, and others were relying on the shoulder's of other's to keep on their feet. 

"Oh my!" Molly jumped to her feet, "I'll get some medicine." she yelled as she hastily made her way upstairs.

Luna's counted the members that walked though the door... they were one short.

"Where's Sirius?" Luna asked, her voice mousey.

Remus looked at her with tears running down his soot covered cheeks, "He... He's gone."


	33. The Prince Fought the Moon

Remus fell into a rather deep depression following the death of Sirius. He had never expected to be the last one standing in his group of school year friends, and it left him feeling alone in the world. He began to drink heavily, the smell of Firewhiskey hadn't left his lips in weeks.

Remus no longer came downstairs in the morning for coffee, nor did he accompany Luna while she worked in the afternoons. He spent his time locked away in his room, drinking and flipping through old photobooks.

Although they still shared a bed, Remus spent most nights with his back to Luna. They were merely inches from one another, but they both felt incredibly alone.

Luna awoke in the middle of the night to find that Remus was no longer beside her. She sat up in bed, and quickly discovered that he was sitting on the floor with a photo album in his lap, a bottle of liquor once again in his hands.

"Remus, it's the middle of the night. Come to bed." she called to him.

He grunted.

Luna got out of bed, and pulled Remus to his feet. "You can't keep doing this Remus. You can try as hard as you like, but you can't drink your grief away. This isn't how Sirius would have wanted you to live your life."

Remus shoved her arm off of him, "You don't know how Sirius would have wanted me to live! You barely knew him!"

"Dammit, Remus, you aren't the only one hurting here!" she cried.

"Don't you _dare_ compare your grief to mine." Remus snarled as he reached over to his desk, grabbed the moonflower orb, and threw it against the wall in a fit of drunken rage.

The glass orb shattered the moment it hit the wall, and tiny shards of glass rained onto the floor. When the glass broke, so too did the the enchantment that had prevented the moonflower from aging. Within seconds, the once beautiful flower shriveled up and turned to ash before their eyes.

Luna was now openly sobbing, tears streaming down her face, "Remus!"

"Get out of _my_ room!" He snapped at her.

"Remus..." She sniffled.

"I said get out!" He snarled, "I don't want to look at you."

Luna left the room bawling, and Remus slammed the door shut behind her.

*********

Instead of returning to her old bedroom, Luna wandered downstairs and lit a fire in the living room fireplace. She made a nest out of a blanket around her and popped open a bottle of Firewhiskey. She took a note from Remus's book and began to drink, tears running down her cheeks, as she stared deeply into the dancing flames.

The front door opened, and Severus entered, yet another envelope of intel in his hands. He had excepted it to be a quick drop-off, but his curiosity was peaked by a dim light coming from the living room. He had expected everyone to be asleep at this time of night, and he went to investigate the source of flickering light.

He found Luna sobbing on the couch alone, and without a word he sat down next to her.

He sat in silence next to her while she cried, and his presence was oddly comforting. When Luna's tears began to slow, he finally spoke, "What happened?" he asked tenderly.

"It's Remus..." she began, her voice shaking, "He's completely changed. There is no light in his eyes anymore... All he does is drink. I know he's hurting, and I've tried to be strong for him... but I'm hurting to... and I feel like I can't turn to him. He acts like his grief is the only one that matters because it's greater than mine... as if sorrow is a competition."

Luna swallowed in an attempt to hold back more tears, "And then tonight he... well, I'm not sure if things between him and I will ever be the same."

Severus wiped a stray tear off her cheek with his thumb, and rested his hand tenderly on her cheek.

Without even being sure why, Luna found herself leaning closer to Severus. She pressed her lips softly against his, and he pressed his back into hers.

Luna slowly climbed onto Severus's lap, her legs straddling him as she sat facing him, "I'm so tired of hurting, Severus."

He ran his fingers gently through her hair, his eyes burrowing into her soul as only his could do.

"I just want to feel good again." she whispered.

With that, Severus pulled her in close and crashed his lips against hers. 

Luna's hands instantly went for his belt, and she made quick work of the buckle.

Severus slid his pants down just enough to free himself, and Luna pulled her panties to the side before sliding herself down onto him.

Severus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in till their chests were tightly pressed against one another.

Luna wrapped her arms around his back, laid her head on his shoulder, and slowly began to grind her hips against him.

Severus slid one hand up her back, and firmly gripped the back of her of neck, embracing her as he helped to guide her body up and down him.

Luna let out quiet airy moans, her breath brushing warmly against his ear.

She dug her fingers into his back as she began to more forcefully push her hips into his.

Severus's hands wandered to her waist, where his fingers dug into her skin as he helped to pull her down against him.

Luna lifted her head from his shoulders, and leaned back slightly so that she could look Severus in the eyes. She placed a hand on each one of his shoulders, and the two got lost in each other's eyes.

When Severus felt his climax approaching, he grabbed Luna by the back of the head, and once more pulled her into a passionate kiss. With one final thrust upwards, the two reached their highs in each other's arms.

"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?" She whispered into his ear.

"Of course." He responded tenderly.

True to his word, Severus remained at Grimmauld until Luna had finally fallen asleep on the couch. He took a knitted blanket off an armchair and wrapped it around her as she slept. He kissed her softly on the forehead, and with a flick of his wand, the fireplace extinguished. 


	34. Possessive

Luna awoke and rubbed her eyes. It look a moment for her to realize where she was. She had almost forgotten that she had fallen asleep in the living room. To her surprise, Severus was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning." He said as he handed her a hot cup of coffee.

"Thanks" she said as she sat at the kitchen table.

Severus pulled a chair up next to her and sat down, a cup of black tea in his hands.

Neither spoke, but their hands sat on the table dangerously close to one another.

Luna turned her head at the sound of footsteps, and Remus entered the kitchen.

Remus took one look at how closely Severus and Luna were sitting, and his upper lip quivered with contempt. "What exactly are _you_ doing here so early?" he barked.

Severus's lips curled into a sneer, "Isn't it obvious? I fucked her last night." he said coldly.

Lupin was instantly filled with rage and he grabbed Luna's wrist rather roughly. He pulled her to her feet, "I need to talk with you." he snarled, and began to drag her upstairs.

Once they had entered his room, Remus slammed the door behind him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he hollered.

"Me?! You're the one who has been drinking himself into oblivion. You're the one kicked me out of _your_ room, I believe you called it."

Remus's chest was heaving heavily with angered breath.

"You act like you're the only one allowed to feel any kind of pain. I know you miss Sirius. I miss him too. And, dammit, I miss you!" She yelled.

"I'm right here!" He screamed.

"This isn't the Remus I fell in love with. You washed every part of the man I loved down the drain with Firewhiskey." She scolded.

"And after last night," she motioned to the pile of broken glass and ash on the floor, "It seemed safe to assume that it was over. Maybe you are a monster after all." 

As soon as she finished this sentence, Remus grabbed Luna by her throat and slammed her against the wall. Their eyes flashed daggers into each other's neither one willing to back down.

The was a moment of loud silence between the two of them, before Remus crashed his lips onto hers. His released her throat and be began to feverishly undo his belt buckle.

Luna quickly wiggled out of her underwear, letting it fall to the ground between them. Remus kicked it haphazardly to the side.

Luna reached for her wand to cast a silencing spell, but grabbed her by the wrist before she could pick it up.

"Don't." He snarled, "I want him to hear. I want everyone to hear."

With that, Remus slammed his entire length into her, his fingers digging deep into her hips. His grip was rough, and would certainly leave bruises the next day.

Luna wrapped her arms and legs around Remus's back, and he used this leverage to push her farther up the wall.

"You're mine." he growled as he thrust possessively into her.

Her hands clawed down his began as Remus began to thrust into her more intensely, her fingers leaving thin red scratch marks down his back.

"Remus!" She moaned loudly.

"Say it." He ordered.

Luna gasped in pleasure before she managed to let out the words, "I'm yours."

"Fucking. Mine." he said each word distinctly, each one getting its own hard thrust into her.

Remus removed one hand from Luna's waist, managing to keep her balanced against the wall with just one. He began to rub rapid circles on her clit as he continued to pound into her, and Luna began to see stars.

She reached one hand up and desperately grabbed the hair on the back of his head and pulled him towards her, her other hand digging harshly into his shoulder blade as she reached her high.

The sensation sent Remus over the edge, and with three final slow powerful thrusts he reached his climax. 

Remus felt Luna's body start to go limp in his arms, and he brushed some of the hair out of her face before kissing her tenderly.


	35. Guarding Hogwarts

After the encounter Luna had with Severus, and Remus's reaction to it, Severus had made a point of avoiding Luna. Which was well enough, because Remus had stopped drinking and was slowly becoming more of his old self.

After what happened at the Ministry of Magic, the public's eyes were finally opened to the return of Voldemort. It goes without saying that parents were scared to send their children back to Hogwarts for the upcoming school year, but Dumbledore assured them that they would be taking all precautions at the school in order to keep the students safe.

One of these efforts included having Aurors and members of The Order being posted on the school grounds.

Luna was one those recruited to help guard the school, and this particular week she had drawn the short straw and had night duty.

She wrapped her cloak tightly around her, but it did nothing to combat the chill of the night. She shivered, and watched her breath leave her mouth in a puff of smoke. The school grounds were eerily quiet at night, particularly when school was not in session. The silence was so great, that the sound of a fire crackling in Hagrid's hut carried across the grounds the whole way up to the castle.

Luna rubbed her hands together, attempting to claim any sort of heat from their friction. Suddenly, she found herself feeling rather dizzy.

Unable to sleep, Severus had begun to walk the perimeter of the castle grounds. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what looked like a body laying motionless across the grounds. He rushed over to it, wand drawn, and to his shock, he found Luna collapsed.

He knelt down beside her touched the back of his hand to her cheek. Her skin was freezing to the touch, implying that she had been knocked out for some time. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the hospital wing.

*********

The next time Luna opened her eyes she was laying in a hospital bed. Alarmed, she sat up quickly and began to scan the room. Severus was asleep in a chair next to her.

Madam Pomfrey heard the rustle of sheets and appeared from behind a privacy curtain. "Now, now, lie down." she said as she gently guided Luna's head back to the pillow.

"I don't know what you were thinking." Madame Pomfrey lectured, "What on Earth possessed you to accept an assignment so dangerous and stressful in your condition? Downright irresponsible."

"My condition?" Luna questioned.

"Oh..." Madame Pomfrey paused, "You're pregnant, dear."

Luna's eyes widened, and she turned to look at Severus, who was now wide awake.

"How far along?" Luna asked, returning her attention to Madame Pomfrey.

"I'd say about ten weeks." Madame Pomfrey responded, "Now get some rest."

Madame Pomfrey returned to the other side of the privacy curtain.

Severus placed his hand tenderly on Luna's stomach, "Is it mine?"

Luna's mind flashed back to the night she and Severus had shared when she was upset, "It could be..."

*********

On Madam Pomfrey's orders, Luna was sent back to Grimmauld Place.

Remus was in the kitchen when Luna walked through the front door.

"What are you doing back so soon? Is everything okay?" Remus asked concerned.

"I think you should sit down.." Luna said softly.

Remus hesitated, but then took a seat at the kitchen table. Luna joined him.

"Remus... I'm pregnant." She said nervously.

"Oh my God, that's wonderful news!" Remus leapt to his feet, "I thought you were going to tell you me something bad. Do you know how far along? Do you know if it's a boy or girl? No, no, it's probably much to early for that..." he rambled.

"Remus." Luna said softly.

"What?" he tilted his head. 

Luna took a deep breath, "There's a chance it could be Severus's."

"Oh... right." Remus whispered.


	36. St. Mungo's

Luna sat in a hospital bed on the first floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. 

"Was it really necessary to bring me to this floor?" Luna protested.

"One of the potential fathers is a werewolf. Hospital protocol says that we have to treat you on the creature-induced injuries floor until we know otherwise." a healer clad in bright lime robes said matter of factly.

Remus's face grew red, and he let out a cough in protest, but pretended to be reading The Daily Prophet all the same.

"I'm going to need signatures from all parties in order to give consent to run the test. Please sign your name legibly, and please note that upon signing you cannot revoke your consent. If you have any questions, we have lawyers on hand to help explain any legal text that you may not understand." the healer spoke as if she was reading off a memorized script.

A floating parchment and fluffy quill appeared in front of Luna who signed it before the healer had finished her speech. When she finished the parchment and quill whizzed through the air to Remus, and then to Severus once he was finished.

Once all three signatures had been collected, the parchment and quill disappeared with a loud _pop_ noise.

"Now then." The healer began, "I'm going to need a sample from each potential father."

The healer flicked her wand and a single strand of hair was plucked from both Remus and Severus. 

"Ouch!" Remus rubbed his head.

The strands of hair began to spin in the air, each in their own little vortex. The vortexes sped up until each strand of hair had transformed into a colorful wisp that was neither quite liquid nor gas. The wisp that had formed from Remus's hair was a bright orange, and the one from Severus was teal.

The healer then turned her attention towards Luna, "And of course, a sample from the unborn."

The healer flicked her wand once more and Luna felt as though ice water was pouring out of her stomach. A thin wisp of silver smoke emerged from her stomach, then floated to join the other wisps.

"Just a moment." The healer said.

Severus and Lupin's wisps began to circle around the silvery wisp. They sped up, each preforming figure eights around the center wisp, their loops intertangling. 

Soon, the orange and teal wisps vanished, leaving the silver wisp behind. The silver wisp slowly faded to a teal hue.

"The baby is Mr. Snape's." The nurse said before exiting the room, scribbling on her chart.

"I'll give you a moment." Remus said quietly. He looked absolutely heartbroken, and dragged his feet as he left the room.

Severus walked over to Luna's bedside without saying a word, leaned over, and kissed her stomach. His gaze turned up to Luna, "I know we've had our issues, but Luna, please... We could work things out."

Luna's eyes filled with tears. "Severus, I'm with Remus..."

A lone tear fell down Severus's cheek, and it struck Luna that in the five years she had known him, this was the first time she had ever seen him cry.

"Please. This is my child..." His hand caressed her stomach, "We could be a family... I love you."

Outside the hospital room, Remus stood leaning against the wall. His hands were clenched in tight fists that rested on his thighs. Tears were running down his cheeks.


	37. Choice

When they got back to Grimmauld Place, Luna quietly made her way to her room. Remus followed her and shut the door behind them.

"I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling right now.." He said as he sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her, "I love you... but if I'm being honest, I had always hoped that it would be my child that you'd carry one day."

"I'm sorry, Remus." Luna began to cry again, her eyes still puffy and red from crying at the hospital.

Remus placed two fingers under Luna's chin and turn her head to look at him, "But if I'm being _truly_ honest, you having my child has also been one of my greatest fears. My affliction has been a curse on my life and has ruined nearly every aspect of it. I've laid awake many nights wondering how I would ever forgive myself if I had a child and passed this on to them... To know that I caused someone else a lifetime of suffering because I was selfish and wanted a child of my own."

"You're not selfish, Remus." Luna said softly.

"Maybe this is all for the best. Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me that I shouldn't have children... None of my own at least." he said, sounding rather defeated.

"Remus, don't be ridiculous. The universe isn't tell you that. You're telling you that." Luna said as she rested her hand tenderly on his cheek.

Remus reached up and gingerly took her hand from his cheek and held it tightly in his, their fingers intertwining. "Sirius once told me that life is short and full of suffering, and that if I ever got the chance to grab a sliver of happiness, for however long it lasts, that I should do it. You were the happiness that I grabbed onto... but I can't shake the feeling that my time of happiness is coming to an end."

"What are you saying?" Luna said, her voice shaking.

"It's your turn to grab your strand of happiness in this world. You have a choice to make. We could still be a family... I know it isn't how either of us ever pictured it happening... but I would be willing to raise this child as my own."

Remus placed his hand tenderly on Luna's stomach, and she placed her hand on top of his.

Remus continued, "But I also know that some part of you still cares deeply for Severus... He clearly still cares for you."

"Are you... are you breaking up with me?" she whimpered.

Remus was silent, but the look in his eyes told Luna everything she needed to know.

"Remus..." Luna gripped his hand tightly, and hot tears began to flow down her face once more.

"I want to be certain that if you chose me, that it was because I had truly won your heart. I want you to talk to Severus." He said softly as he pushed her hand off of his.

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

Remus swallowed hard, and it looked as if it was killing him to speak, "Yes."


	38. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor

Luna made her way down the corridors of the dungeons, a trip that she had made hundreds of times over the years, but this time she found herself feeling so anxious that she thought she might vomit.

She knocked softly on the office door, and it slowly swung open. Sitting at the desk was not Severus, but rather a short heavy set old man.

"Can I help you, miss?" The man asked.

"I was looking for Professor Snape." Luna said with a perplexed look on her face.

"Ah, yes, Severus. This was his office for many years, but he's been reassigned. " the old man said.

"Reassigned?" Luna questioned, and her heart sank. Had Severus up and left?

"Yes, yes. He finally got that Defense Against the Dark Arts position that he's been pining over. You can find him on second floor." The old man said with a smile.

"Thank you Professor uh- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Luna said.

"It's Professor Slughorn, but you can just call me Horace, Dear." Slughorn grinned.

*********

Luna stood outside the second floor office door that once upon a time she met Remus behind. She took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Who is it?" a rather annoyed voice called from the other side of the room.

"It's me." Luna said.

The door swung open, and to Luna's surprise, Severus was already standing at the doorway.

"...What are you doing here?" he asked softly.

Luna ignored this question, "I see you finally got the job you've always wanted. Congratulations." she smiled, "I'm really happy for you, Severus."

"You know," Severus began, "I've wanted this job for years. I always thought that once I got it, I would finally be happy... but I'm not."

He took a step closer to her, "I thought that this was the final piece of the puzzle to make me feel complete, but it turns out it wasn't."

Severus placed his hand on Luna's stomach, "It turns out all this time there was a piece that I never even realized was missing; a piece that I didn't even know was part of the puzzle all along... Now I find myself thinking about this piece all the time."

His gaze turned from Luna's stomach to her eyes, "But it's not the only one."

Severus gently rubbed Luna's stomach before heading over to his desk. He began rooting around the top drawer of his desk, and finally pulled out a small ring. A ring that, instead of a gem, housed a smooth orb filled with a blue swirling cloud. It emitted a faint light.

"This ring is a sort of pensieve. It only has enough room to hold one memory." Severus began as he walked towards Luna, "This one is of the exact moment that I realized that I love you... The moment that I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life you... If you would have me."

"Severus, it's gorgeous, but I don't know..." Luna said hesitantly.

Severus placed the ring in her palm and softly closed her fingers around it.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life. Take some time to figure out if you're certain too." He said tenderly as he gently kissed her forehead.


	39. Dumbledore

As Luna prepared to leave the castle, she found herself once again standing at the grand entranceway gazing at the stained glass window that she was mesmerized by almost six years ago.

She looked at the heavy double doors that lead to the grounds, and then back to the grand marble staircase opposite it. She couldn't bring herself to leave this place.

As if they had called out to her to do so, Luna began to climb the marble stairs, unsure of where her body was leading her.

She made her way to the second floor, and then down the Gargoyle corridor. "Acid pops." Luna said, and the gargoyle guarding the spiral stairway to the Headmaster's office allowed her to pass.

There were a plethora of voices chattering beyond the Headmaster's door, and they came to a sudden stop when Luna knocked.

"Come in." Dumbledore called from the other side of the door.

Luna entered the Headmaster's office to find Dumbledore seated at his desk alone. The portraits of Headmaster's past were all looking down at her, and it became clear that they were the voices she had heard talking.

"You look troubled. Please, have a seat." Dumbledore said warmly.

Luna sat quietly, her face looked like there were a thousand cogs whirring in her mind.

"Go on, let it out." Dumbledore said understandingly.

Luna took a deep breath, and began to spill all of her emotions that she had been poorly trying to hold in. She rambled about everything that had happened to her over the last six years in excruciating detail. All the while, Dumbledore sat patiently listening; never once interrupting.

When she had finally finished, Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and began to speak, "You know, I find that the choices we make show what it is that our heart truly wants. Even if our brain hasn't figured it out yet..."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"When Remus gave you the option to choose, tell me, why then did you choose to come to Hogwarts? 

"Because Remus asked me to... I know I could have just not come, but-" Luna began, but she was cut off.

"And even after you had gotten a chance to speak to Severus, as Remus requested that you do, tell me then why it is you couldn't bring yourself to walk out that door?" Dumbledore questioned.

Luna opened her hand and looked down at the ring in her palm. Until now, she hadn't even realized that she had been holding onto to it tightly from the moment she left Severus's office.

Dumbledore's gaze shifted to the ring in her palm, "It would appear to me, that you have already made your choice."


End file.
